Grant Funding for PreK-12 Classroom Teachers
Resources for Finding Funds and Materials for Improved Learning
Dec 10, 2008
K-12 classroom teachers can provide their own funding for special projects, field trips, additional instructional materials, professional development, and other necessities by using a variety of public and private resources. Local, state, and federal governments, corporations, community organizations, businesses, and advocacy groups all provide funds or materials that can be used in the classroom, and any classroom teacher can gain access to these opportunities.
Two Ways to Locate Funding
Teachers generally use two ways to locate funding for classroom resources: they have an idea of what is needed and search for funding sources that support these needs; or they start searching funding sources, and let the source’s priorities help them focus project ideas and clarify classroom needs. Most importantly, successful teachers allow enough time to develop a proposal by checking likely funding sources regularly to become of aware of opportunities as soon as they are released.
Funding Sources for Classroom Teachers
Where are the most likely funding sources for classroom teachers? With the Internet, classroom teachers have access to information on funding priorities, application requirements, and deadlines for all federal and state programs, most foundations, and many local businesses or community organizations. Here are some great places to start:
- The U.S. Department of Education lists funding announcements from Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Elementary and Secondary Education, Innovation and Improvement, and others. Funding is available for specific programs, professional development, fellowships, and classroom research.
- The U.S. government grant clearinghouse site consolidates grant opportunities from every agency; in addition to the education grants, teachers will find opportunities available through NASA, the National Endowments for the Arts or Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and others.
- Each state’s Board of Education lists available grant programs; also, check with state arts, humanities, or literacy councils.
- Private foundations may be accessed through the Foundation Directory, Donor’s Forum, or similar organization, where for a small monthly fee, individuals can generate lists and detailed profiles of possible funding sources.
- Individual corporations often have community involvement pages on their websites, and will sponsor programs in the geographic regions where they have offices and manufacturing plants.
- Many nonprofits provide opportunities for professional development related to their areas of interest, and some have lesson plans or other instructional materials available on their websites.
- Professional organizations such as the International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, or the National Education Association have grants and teaching resources available on their websites.
- General web searches will yield sites for educators that list available grants. While the information is often dated, these can be a good resource for planning since most funding becomes available quarterly or annually, and the funding source may be bookmarked for later use.
Using these resources, teachers can easily establish a system for monitoring funding sources, writing winning proposals, and providing unique learning opportunities for their students.
Further Reading
Karges-Bone, Linda. Grant Writing for Teachers: If You Can Write a Lesson Plan You Can Write a Grant. Torrance, CA: Good Apple, 1994.
Knowles, Cynthia. The First-Time Grantwriters Guide to Success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2002.
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