Opportunity for math, science teachers
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science. The awards will honor mathematics and science (including computer science) teachers working in grades 7–12. Winning teachers receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation and a paid trip for two to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of professional development events. Nominees must have at least five years of full-time K–12 math or science teaching experience prior to the 2014–15 school year. DEADLINE: April 1 to nominate a teacher; teachers (who may nominate themselves) must complete an application (which includes a video; three letters of recommendation from administrators, colleagues, parents, students or others; and a written response) by May 1.
CONTACT: To nominate a teacher, visit www.paemst.org.
Help end hunger
The World Hunger Leadership Challenge was created by the USA Today Charitable Foundation and the Lift a Life Foundation, with assistance from the Yum! Foundation, to encourage middle and high school students to hone leadership skills by completing a service-learning project that aims to solve hunger issues. The 2014–15 Lead2Feed World Hunger Leadership Challenge is open and ready to accept project submissions. Any middle or high school class in the United States can participate in the Lead2Feed program. The challenge is available for this school year and teachers can have implemented it during the fall semester or can do so during the spring semester. Winners of the Leadership Awards will receive $1,000, while the winning team will receive $25,000 for their charity and $20,000 for their school.
DEADLINE: April 17.
CONTACT: Lead2Feed Challenge
Encouraging math collaboration
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Pre-service Teacher Action Research Grants will provide financial support for action research conducted as a collaborative by classroom teachers seeking to improve their understanding of mathematics in pre-K–8 classrooms. Primary emphasis will be placed on collaboration by a team of researchers consisting of elementary and middle school teachers, and pre-service teachers from the undergraduate ranks. The action research should be designed, implemented and completed with a focus on enhancing the teaching and/or learning of mathematics in grades pre-K–8. The applicant must be a full individual or E-Member of NCTM or must teach at a school with a NCTM pre-K–8 school membership. The applicant may be either a teacher in the pre-K–8 classroom or a mathematics coach assigned to work with the classrooms where the research will be conducted. Past recipients of this grant are not eligible to reapply. The action research is to be conducted between June 1, 2015, and Aug. 31, 2016. A grant of up to a maximum of $3,000 will be awarded.
DEADLINE: May 4.
CONTACT: NCTM
A chance to dream big
Are you a teacher with a big dream that has the potential to impact the lives of the children and families in your school and community? Is funding the only thing standing between you and the realization of that dream? Then Thank America’s Teachers invites you to step up to the $100,000 Dream Big Teacher Challenge and submit your proposal for one of six grants of up to $100,000. The challenge asks K–12th-grade teachers to provide not only a detailed description of the project but an itemized breakdown of budget, supplies, staff hours and reasonable timelines to execute your big dream idea.
DEADLINE: June 30.
CONTACT: Thank America's Teachers
Help fund your school library
Children’s book writer and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats credited his public school education for providing the encouragement to pursue his vocation as an artist. And the public library was a haven that introduced him to the wonders of art history. To offer a similar experience to new generations, the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation created minigrants of up to $500 given to public schools and public libraries for projects that foster creative expression, working together and interaction with a diverse community. EJK Mini-Grants give educators an opportunity to design and implement a great program — whether a special activity outside the standard curriculum or one that helps meet its goals.
DEADLINE: March 31.
CONTACT: www.ezra-jack-keats.org/minigrant-program
Rewarding teamwork
The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation’s Teacher Development Grants support small teams of teachers in the formation and implementation of groundbreaking K–12 classroom instruction. The grants provide opportunities for teachers to integrate fresh strategies that encourage critical inquiry and to observe their effects on students. Teachers have the opportunity to reflect and write about their projects, as well as to share their results with other teachers. The foundation awards grants to individuals in amounts up to $10,000 per year for a maximum of three years, provided the eligibility requirements continue to be met. Applicants should be eager to improve their classroom instruction; willing to document their new approach in detail; and have an imaginative and well-considered plan for enriching classroom instruction.
DEADLINE: April 15.
CONTACT: Teacher Development Grants