Three times a year, educators have an opportunity to apply for Learning & Leadership or Student Achievement Grants from the National Education Association Foundation. October 15 is the next deadline to apply for these prestigious awards – and there are several upcoming grant and award opportunities for school custodians, too.
Student Achievement Grants fund work that engages students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Proposals for work resulting in low-income and minority student success with honors, advanced placement, or other challenging curricula are particularly encouraged. The grant amount is $5,000.
Learning & Leadership Grants provide opportunities for teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff to engage in high-quality professional development and lead their colleagues in professional growth. The grant amount is $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study. According to the NEA Foundation website, all professional development must improve practice, curriculum, and student achievement. Recipients are expected to exercise professional leadership by sharing their new learning with their colleagues.
Applications may be submitted at any time, but there are three deadlines to keep in mind: October 15 (January 15 notification), February 1 (April 15 notification), and June 1 (September 15 notification). Please give careful attention to the timeline of your grant. Applications that include activities scheduled prior to the date of notification will not be considered.
For more information, see http://www.neafoundation.org and click on “Apply for a Grant.” Also remember: It’s not too soon to be thinking about an Idaho nominee for the NEA’s Awards for Teaching Excellence. The deadline for that is May 2011.
Here are several other upcoming grant and award opportunities from the NEA Health Information Network’s Indoor Environmental Quality Programs (IEQ).
IEQ Online Course Grant Program – Applications are due September 30, 2010, and January 5, 2011, to get grants of $75/person for teams of 3-4 members/staff to take the online course, What’s Your IEQ? A Roadmap to School Indoor Environmental Quality. Participants earn professional development credit for learning how to make schools greener and healthier. Learn more at http://neahin.org/onlinetraining/teamgrant.html.
IAQ Symposium and Grant Program – Send a team to Washington, D.C. for the EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) National Symposium in January 2011. The application deadline is November 1, 2010, for the chance at all-expense-paid trip for your teams to learn how to ensure their schools are healthier places to work and learn. Find out more at http://neahin.org/iaqsymposium/index.html
2011 C.L.E.A.N. Award – This is an opportunity for your member custodians to apply or be nominated for the C.L.E.A.N. Awards Program to recognize their contributions to school health. Applications are due December 1, 2010. Five awards are given, and winners get a cash award and an all-expense-paid trip to the National ESP Conference in March 2011. Learn more at http://neahin.org/cleanaward/apply2011.
EXTRA! With all the cuts to school sports and arts programs, Clorox is now offering “Power a Bright Future” grants “to help save some of the programs that are important to you.” Nominate a project for one of three $20,000 grants or one $50,000 grant. Get more information here.
