Category Archives: Education

Rural Technology Fund Assistive Technology Grants

Assistive Technology Grants from the Rural Technology Fund support the purchase of technology to make U.S. schools more accessible to students with disabilities.

Application s are accepted on a continual basis and reviewed every 30-60 days. The average grant is $500 – $2,500, but larger requests will be considered for projects that will impact a greater number of students.

Eligibility

This grant is open to public schools and 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations in the U.S.

Grants are typically given to schools in rural or high-poverty areas.

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may be used for computer and tablets that feature:

Text to speech
Speech to text
Word processing
Magnification
Audio books
Other accessibility tools

Funds may also be used for:

Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices
Adaptive keyboards and mouses
Software and applications

Gravely & Paige Grants for STEM Teachers

The Gravely & Paige Grants for STEM Teachers are offered through AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association). Awards of up to $2,000 are available to STEM teachers in the United States.

Applications are due by October 1, 2024. They have reached the limit for elementary school awards, but grants for middle school are still open.

Eligibility

This grant is open to teachers in the United States who:

Are U.S. citizens
Teach at an elementary, intermediary, or secondary school
Teach a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subject
Teach at a public or private school

Priority consideration will be given to teachers at schools with economically disadvantaged students.

Letter of Recommendation

All applicants must have their principal submit a letter of recommendation to edfoundation@afcea.org in PDF form. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that this letter is sent in a timely manner.

Letters should contain information about:

The applicant’s teaching performance
The applicant’s accomplishments
How the grant will impact the applicant’s classroom and/or afterschool program
Any other information relevant to support for the application

ProLiteracy: Literacy Opportunity Fund

The Literacy Opportunity Fund is presented by ProLiteracy with funding from The Nora Roberts Foundation. The Fund supports general operating and project expenses for literacy organizations in the United States.

Applications for grants up to $6,000 are accepted annually on January 3, April 1, July 1, and October 1. The application portal opens one month before the deadline.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations and organizations with a fiscal sponsor who engage in direct work with adult literacy students.

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may be used to cover general operating expense, including:

Salaries and stipends
Supplies
Equipment
Space rental

Funds may also be used for specific projects, events, or new programming.

National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program

The National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program will fund 8-10 Regional Alliances to recognize, reward, and elevate outstanding STEM teachers.

Cooperative Agreements of up to $35 million will support Alliances for five years with the potential to extend for an additional 10 years. Applications are due through Grants.gov or Research.gov by October 1, 2024 at 5:00 PM the applicant’s local time. Optional letters of intent may be submitted until August 20.

Eligibility

Applicant

Proposals may be submitted by 2 and 4 year insitutions of higher education accredited and with a campus in the United States. Primary Investigators must hold a terminal degree in a STEM discipline, Education, STEM Education, or a related field.

Alliance Partners

Regional Alliances must include a State Educational Agency and/or a Local Education Agency from each of the states included in the Alliance. Additional partners may include:

Nonprofit education associations
Cross-sector STEM organizations
Private entities, including STEM-related businesses

National STEM Teacher Corps Members

Photo by Yan Krukau: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-teaching-students-how-to-use-a-microscope-8617841/

Members serve 4 year turns during which they receive a minimum annual stipend of $10,000. All members must:

Be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent resident aliens
Teach science, technology, engineering, or math in a K-12 school (public, private, or charter)
Hold a bachelor’s degree, at minimum, from an accreditied institution
Be a full time employee with at least 50% of work time spent teaching students
Have at least 5 years of teaching experience in a STEM field prior to the 2023-2024 school year
Teach in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or a Department of Defense Education Activity school

Alliance Responsibilities

Regional Alliances are required to:

Engage with local partners to create communities of practice
Recruite eligible members
Coordinate the online network to support members in their region
Hold regional member meetings
Create professional growth opportunities for members
Support members to ensure their success and continued participation in the program

The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation Bookmobile Grant

Newbery Award winning author and illustrator Lois Lenski established The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation in 1967 to assist organizations helping kids develop literacy skills and a love of reading.

The Bookmobile Grant Program awards funds of $500 – $3,000 to groups in the United States that operate bookmobile programs for disadvantaged youth. Applications must be submitted each year by September 1st.

Eligibility

This grant is available to organizations in the United States, including its territories and commonwealths, such as:

Schools
Public libraries
Other 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations

Allowable Expenses

All grant funds are to be spent on fiction or nonfiction books suitable for children in preschool through 8th grade.

Grant funds may not be spent on:

Administrative costs
Books giveaways
Reference books (e.g. dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases)
Magazine subscriptions
Workbooks or other instructional materials

Application

All applications must be submitted as a hard copy with one photo of the exterior and one of the interior of the bookmobile. Electronic submissions will not be accepted.

Applications should be sent to:

The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation

P.O. Box 255366

Sacramento, CA 95865

John Templeton Foundation

The John Templeton Foundation supports projects from around the world in 6 funding areas:

Online Funding Inquiries are due by August 16, 2024. If invited to submit, full proposals will be due January 17, 2025. Selected proposals may be due earlier. Grants are often for up to three years, but never more than five.

Eligibility

This grant is open to charitable entities from anywhere in the world. Individuals and for-profit businesses doing charitable work in line with the Foundation’s goals may qualify, but this is rare.

Funding Limitations

Grant funds may not be used for:

General operating support
Construction, renovations, or capital campaigns
Direct service
Scholarships
Disaster relief

Funding Areas

Individual Freedom & Free Markets

This funding area supports education, research, and outreach projects focused on individual freedom, free markets, and entrepreneurship.

Character Virtue Development

This funding area focuses on moral virtues such as humility, gratitude, curiosity, diligence, and honesty.

Life Sciences

This funding area supports research projects that seek to answer questions such as, What is life? How did it originate? What are its limits? to help us better understand our place in nature.

Mathematical and Physical Sciences

This funding area supports research on the fundamental concepts of physical reality. Projects that ask, What is the nature of the universe? How are physical systems more than the sum of their parts? and How do these various ideas come together?

Public Engagement

This funding area supports projects that spark conversations about how people can live lives of meaning and purpose. This may include content creation and campus programming.

Religion, Science, and Society

This funding area supports projects that engage with the interplay of spiritual and scientific questions.

Spencer Educational Foundation: General Grants

The Spencer Educational Foundation collaborates with Risk Management and Insurance educators in the United States and Canada to create a pipeline for professionals in the field. Their General Grants fund experiential learning opportunities and outreach programs.

Applications are due by July 30, 2024 for award of typically $5,000 to $25,000. Grantees should expect to hear from the Foundation at the end of October.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

Public and private educational institutions
501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
501(c)6 nonprofit organizations

Project Examples

Examples of previously funded projects include:

High school outreach and career development
Conference and symposia attendance for students
Travel expenses for students to engage with industry professionals
Efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry

The Foundation has generally not supported:

Competition prizes as the sole request
Re-granting
Requests without a specific project

Share Our Strength: No Kid Hungry Grant

Share Our Strength is on a mission to end hunger and poverty through programs like No Kid Hungry. They are the only national campaign dedicated to ending hunger for the millions of American children living with it today.

Interested applicants can submit an Inquiry Form at any time. The average grant is $5,000 – $15,000, but funding varies by state and program area.

Eligibility

This grant is open to school districts and community organizations serving children through federal feeding programs.

Allowable Expenses

No Kid Hungry tries to provide as much flexibility as possible to allow their grantees to best address the issue of childhood hunger. However, grant funds are rarely used to purchase food because it’s provided through federal feeding programs. Grant funds are typically used to purchase equipment such as:

Refrigerators
Coolers
Carts
Vehicles
Packaging

Funding Priorities

No Kid Hungry recognizes that race is a major factor is childhood hunger. To address this and other inequities, they prioritize:

Applicants serving communities with 50% or more of the population identifying as BIPOC
Communities where at least 60% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch
Communities experiencing economic hardship
Communities where members experience intersecting social and environmental inequities.
Community organizations where 50% or more of the board and senior leadership identify as BIPOC

Teshinsky Family Foundation: Manufacturing Workforce Training Grant

The Teshinsky Family Foundation‘s Manufacturing Workforce Training Grant supports programs that provide training and employment assistance in the manufacturing fields. Organizations may apply for a Program Grant or Equipment and Capital Grant.

Inquiry forms are due by July 26, 2024. If invited, full applications for $25,000 – $100,000 will be due September 30, 2024. Virtual or in-person site visits for finalists will take place in October and November.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations serving participants 18 or older.

For profit businesses, institutions of higher education, and labor, alumni, or fraternal groups are not eligible.

Grant Types

Program Grants – Covers direct instruction and program costs
Equipment and Capital Grants – Covers new, updated equipment and updated or enhanced facilities

Program Requirements

Eligible programs must provide all elements.

Training

Training should be at no cost to participants; stipends for program attendance are preferred. It should include professional skills required to achieve and maintain long-term employment in addition to hands-on skill such as:

Additive manufacturing
Blueprint reading
CAD/CAM/other design software
Industrial maintenance
Robotics

Employer Relations & Jobs Pipeline

Programs should have relationships with area manufacturing employers that serve as a pipeline to employment for program graduates. They should also provide training relevant to entry level positions with these employers. Direct involvement of employers in curriculum development is preferred.

Case Management Services

Participants should receive support and resources to help them succeed in their chosen path. Intensive career counseling should be provided along with career retention support.

Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation

The Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation was founded in 2010 to support U.S. organizations furthering the Jewish ideals of creating a better world through Science, Education, and the Arts.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a regular basis until September 30 of each year. There are no minimum or maximum amounts. Awards are based on available funds, number of applications received, and the merits of the project.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations in the United States.

The Foundation is interested in funding new projects and programs or ones that require support to become sustainable.

Funding Limitations

Grant funds should be spent on project specific costs.

Grant funds may not be spent on general operating expenses, including:

Salaries
Benefits
Transportation and travel
Rent
Taxes

Evaluation

The Committee will make recommendations to the Board after considering:

Purpose of the request
How the request fits with the applicant organization’s mission
Applicant’s experience with this type of program
Projected budget in comparison to overall financials
Goals and expectations for the project