Category Archives: Education

NIFA Veterinary Services Grant Program

The Veterinary Services Grant Program from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture will support projects to develop and sustain food animal veterinary services and alleviate vet shortages in the United States.

Grants will be awarded in two categories – Education, Extension, and Training (EET) and Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE). Approximately 10 awards will be made in each category. EET applicants may request up to $250,000; RPE applicants may request up to $125,000. There is no matching requirement. All applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by March 21, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET.

Education, Extension and Training Grants

EET grants are intended for programs to assist veterinarians, vet technicians, and students gain the skills needed to alleviate the shortage of veterinary services in the United States and Insular Areas.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

  • Colleges or schools of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association
  • Departments of veterinary science or departments of comparative medicine accredited by the U.S. Department of Education
  • University research foundations or veterinary medical foundations
  • State, regional, or national organizations supporting food animal veterinary programs. 
  • Allied or professional food animal veterinary organizations recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association
  • State agricultural experiment stations or Research Farms  
  • State, local, or tribal government agencies

Potential Activities

https://vet.purdue.edu/hospital/farm-animal/

Potential uses of grant funds may include:

  • Training in food safety, public health, or food animal medicine
  • Modifying veterinary courses, including updates for remote learning and faculty recruitment and retention
  • Training vet residents, interns, and externs
  • Continuing education, including remote learning opportunities
  • Outreach to 11th and 12th grade students on education and career opportunities in food animal medicine

Rural Practice Enhancement Grants

RPE grants will support private clinics in Veterinarian Shortage Situations expand their capacity to provide food/large animal veterinary services.

Eligibility

This grant is open to clinics in rural veterination shortage situtations as definded by the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP). Type II shortage situtations are rural. Type I and III situtations will need to consult the USDA’s Rural Community Development Initiative to determine eligibility.

Applicants may include:

  • For-profit or nonprofit vet clinics and hospitals
  • Clinics or hospital that employ a current VMLRP grantee

Potential Activities

https://vetmed.iastate.edu/vmc/large-animal/food-animal-camelid

Potential uses of grant funds may include:

  • Veterinary office equipment
  • Clinical equipment
  • Overhead expenses associated directly with providing services in the shortage area (up to 50% of total budget)
  • Establishing mobile vet facilities
  • Outreach to 11th and 12th grade students on education and career opportunities in food/large animal medicine and herd health management

Dr. Scholl Foundation

The Dr. Scholl Foundation has invested over $312 million since 1980 in organizations improving the world through Innovation, Practicality, Hard Work, and Compassion. These were core values for Dr. William M. Scholl, MD, founder of the foot care company, and they inspired him to establish his foundation.

Letters of Inquiry are accepted on a continual basis and applicants should expect a response within five business days. Full applications, for those invited to submit, are due by March 1, 2024 at 4:00 PM CT. There is no limit to the request amount, but the average award is $5,000 to $25,000.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations who can provide at least three years of financial documents. Publicly supported government entities are rarely approved.

Applicants from outside the United States may be considered if a board member has direct knowledge of their activities.

Primary Focus Areas

The Foundation is primarily interested in funding projects in:

  • Education
  • Social service
  • Healthcare
  • Civic and Cultural
  • Environmental

This list should not, however, dissuade applicants from submitting worthwhile projects in other categories. Grant guidelines are intentionally broad to allow for flexibility.

Allowable Expenses

Use of grant funds is also flexible. However, they cannot be used for:

  • General support
  • Capital campaigns
  • Endowments
  • Loans
  • Event sponsorships
  • Political activities

The Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation

The Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation has supported programs that increase economic literacy in the United States for over 70 years. From traditional K-12 classrooms to college courses and beyond, they are encouraging financial knowledge in America.

The average award is $10,000 – $25,000 and, although there is not a matching requirement, the Foundation will give preference to organizations that have other sources of funding. Letters of Interest are due March 10th or September 10th each year to be considered for the chance to submit a full proposal.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that have been in operation for at least 5 years.

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may not be spent on:

  • Overhead costs
  • Indirect costs

Funding Interests

The Foundation is currently interested in funding projects such as:

  • Using arificial intelligence (AI) to improve student learning
  • Novel methods for reaching more people
  • Behavioral economics with a focus on environmental issues
  • Economic education for under-serverd communities
  • Online competitions

Evaluation Criteria

All proposals will be evaluated based on:

  • Significance – will the project’s reach and impact be meaningful?
  • Plan of Operation – the projects potential to achive its goals
  • Technical Soundness – does the proposal’s methods reflect the latest in economic education?
  • Quality of Key Personnel and Reputation of the Institution
  • Budget and Cost Effectiveness – additional leveraged funds
  • Evaluation – how will the project measure its goals and objectives?

Robert F. Schumann Foundation

The Robert F. Schumann Foundation supports projects in the United States focused on Arts, culture, and humanities, Education, the Environment, and Animals. The Foundation is administered through Wells Fargo Philanthropic Trust Services.

Applications are accepted year round, but must be submitted by February 28th to be considered at that year’s annual grant meeting.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations in the United States. Special consideration will be given to organizations in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and on the East Coast.

Focus Areas

The Schumann Foundation supports projects focused on:

  • Arts, culture, and humanities
  • Education
  • The Environment (especially open space habitats)
  • Animals (especially ornithology)

Snapdragon Book Foundation Grant

The Snapdragon Book Foundation was founded in 2008 to provide funds to school libraries serving disadvantaged children. Especially as funding for books is being cut, they want to ensure that all kids have quality reading options.

Applications are due by Sunday February 11, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Past awards have ranged from $500 to $20,000 and applicants are encouraged to request the amount needed for their projects. If unable to fulfill the entire amount, Snapdragon may offer partial funding. There is no matching requirement.

Eligibility

This grant is open to public, private, and alternative (e.g. charter or youth detention center) Pre-K – 12th grade school libraries in the United States and its territories. Applicants must serve disadvantaged youth, but there is not a minimum required percentage of low income students.

Public schools need only provide a link to their official website to confirm their eligibility. All others will need to upload IRS documentation designating them as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may be used to purchase:

  • Books to be used repeatedly by multiple children through a classroom or central school library
  • Reference materials for student use
  • Magazine or newspaper subscriptions
  • Processing or cataloging fees from book vendors

Grant funds may not be used for:

  • Books for individual students to take home and keep
  • Test-Prep books for SAT, ACT, or other entrance exams
  • Audio/visual equipment including audio books
  • Computers, eBooks, eReaders, iPads, software
  • Accelerated Reader subscriptions or quizzes
  • “Hands-on” materials like science experiment kits

NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)

The Bay Watershed Education and Training program from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides funding for projects that expose youth to meaningful watershed educational experiences.

To place these experiences within a local context, the program is administered through seven regional NOAA offices: California, Chesapeake, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, New England, and Pacific Northwest. All applications should be submitted through Grants.gov, but deadlines and award amounts vary by region. No matching funds are required.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

  • K-12 public and independent schools and school systems 
  • Institutions of higher education
  • Nonprofit organizations 
  • State or local government agencies
  • Interstate agencies
  • Native American tribal governments

Regional Offices

California

The California B-WET program is not being offered in 2024.

Chesapeake

Image by Jason

The Chesapeake office serves states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed which includes Maryland, the District of Columbia, and parts of Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Projects should advance the environmental literacy goals of both the NOAA Education Strategic Plan and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

Applications are due by February 16, 2024 for requests of up to $150,000.

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes office serves New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Projects are separated into Conventional and Indigenous Communities.

Conventional applications are due by February 29, 2024 for requests of $30,000 – $150,000. Indigenous Communities applications are due by March 1, 2024 for requests of $50,000 – $100,000.

Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico office serves Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Applications are due by February 5, 2024 for requests of $25,000 – $100,000.

Hawaii

Applications to the Hawaii office are due by January 31, 2024 for requests of $50,000 – $150,000.

New England

The New England office serves Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Applications are due by February 20, 2024 for requests of $25,000 – $150,000.

Pacific Northwest

Image by Brigitte Werner

The Pacific Northwest office serves Oregon and Washington. Applications are due by February 1, 2024 for requests of $60,000 – $150,000.

Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS)

Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) supports projects working to change school food systems. The program is administered by the Chef Ann Foundation and funded by the USDA Food & Nutrition Service Healthy Meals Incentives for Schools.

Grants of $500,000 – $600,000, with no matching requirement, will be awarded to eight projects. Applications are due by January 22, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET.

Eligibility

This grant is open to groups of local partners:

  • With 3-5 partners, including the Lead Partner
  • Which include at least one School Food Authority
  • With a Lead Partner who has a demonstrated history of working with school nutrition programs
  • Who are all located within 250 miles of the Lead Partner
  • Who are all located in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands

Other potential partners might include:

  • Food producers
  • Cooperative Extension Services
  • Local government entities
  • Community-based food support organizations

Objectives

The objectives of the PLANT program are to:

  • Build and strengthen relationships
  • Improve school food supply chain coordination
  • Increase awareness of and access to K-12 markets
  • Expand scratch cooking operations in K-12 schools
  • Establish a sustainable approach and best practices

Additional Benefits

In addition to financial support, grantees will receive technical assistance, tools, training, and resources from:

Green Our Planet Garden Grants

Green Our Planet is on a mission to teach youth in the United States to love and protect the environment through garden-based STEM activities. These gardens become living laboratories where they learn about topics like conservation, nutrition, and financial literacy.

The garden building program is only available in Las Vegas, but the Garden Connect STEM Program and Hydroponics STEM Program are open to schools throughout the US.

Garden Connect STEM Program

Grants for this program are available for $2,500; schools are expected to provide an additional $1,000 to cover the full cost of the program. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Eligibility

This grant is open to  public, private, and charter schools in the United States.

Requirements

Image by redakter

Applications must include:

  • A signed letter of support from the school principal
  • Three digital photos of the garden or garden space

Grantees will also be expected to:

  • Commit to at least one year of participating in the Garden Connect STEM Program
  • Participate in monthly surveys and quarterly reports to assess the program

Program Elements

Program participants will receive:

  • STEMWorks accredited Outdoor Garden STEM Curriculum for grades K-5, MS & HS Health Curriculum, and K-12 Financial Literacy Lessons
  • 1-on-1 Virtual Consulting with Garden Connect Coordinators
  • Access to Resource Library
  • Access to Virtual Academy
  • Online community through Green Our Planet’s Magic Garden Portal

Hydroponics STEM Challenge

Grants for this program are available for $8,000; schools are expected to provide an additional $2,000 to cover the full cost of the program. Applications from schools outside Nevada are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications from schools in Nevada are currently under consideration.

Eligibility

This grant is open to  

  • Public, private, home, and charter schools
  • Libraries
  • Community centers

Requirement

Applications must include a signed letter of support from the administrator.

Program Elements

Program participants will receive:

  • Hydroponics systems for 20 classrooms
  • Seed germinator
  • Nutrient fertilizers
  • pH measurement tool
  • Total dissolved solids (TDS) measurement tool
  • The Green Our Planet Hydroponic Manual
  • Support from a Green Our Planet Hydroponic Coordinator

The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation

For 20 years, The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation has been planting fruit, nut, and medicinal trees alongside Native American tribes, schools, and animal sanctuaries. Their goal is to help plant 18 billion trees around the world to protect the environment by improving the soil, water, and air quality, to feed those in need, and to strengthen communities.

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis. Most funded projects are in the United States, but they accept applications from international projects as well.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to:

  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Non-government organizations
  • Public schools
  • Government entities serving a charitable purpose

Applicants must also:

  • Own or have a long term lease on the planting site or have a long term usage agreement with the non-profit or governmental entity that owns it
  • Be committed to caring for the orchard indefinitely
  • Have a clear goal for how the orchard can help them fulfill their charitable mission
  • Be able to recruit and coordinate volunteers for planting day

Site

The site must:

  • Be suitable for planting trees about 15 feet apart with holes dug to 18 inches deep and 2 feet wide
  • Have a year-round irrigation source. The Foundation may be able to provide hoses or a drip irrigation system, but there must be somewhere to hook them up.

There isn’t a set number of trees required per project but they typically consist of at least 15-20 trees.

Grant Package

Grantees will receive:

  • Assistance with designing the layout of their orchard
  • Trees and shrubs
  • Equipment
  • Horticultural workshops
  • Training and manuals on the care and maintenance of the trees
  • Funds for deer fencing and irrigation systems is available on an as needed basis
  • Optional educational materials for schools

Reiman Foundation

The Reiman Foundation has been supporting charitable and civic projects in the United States since its founding in 1986. They focus on four key areas: Health Care, Education, The Arts, and Children.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Eligibility

This grant is open to entities with tax-exempt status.

Application

Unlike most grant programs, the Reiman Foundation does not require a specific format for applications. They simply ask that you provide the following information on your organization’s official letterhead:

  • Date of application submission
  • Agency overview including focus and population served
  • Contact person’s name and information
  • Brief project description
  • Need for funding
  • Amount requested and, if possible, a Wish List of items with costs
  • Documentation of tax-exempt status

Applications can be mailed to:

Reiman Foundation, Inc.
125 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 200
Pewaukee, WI 53072

or emailed to reimanfoundation@hexagoninc.com.