The CCEA searches for grants and awards that you may benefit from. This information is updated frequently as it is of a time-sensitive nature.
NEW **Disney Friends for Change Grants
Helping people, communities, and the planet
Disney Friends for Change Grants is looking for projects that highlight the creativity and commitment of young people working to meet the needs of others. Showing how even small actions can add up to big changes.
Whether you are passionate about protecting the planet, providing meals to those who need it, or giving kids just like you the resources they need to star in their own play, be an athlete or an artist, you can be a Friend for Change! Whatever your interests, a Disney Friends for Change Grants can help you make a difference for people, communities, and the planet.
Youth ages 5-18, located in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, are eligible to apply for a $1,000 grant. (Please note: To be eligible to lead a Disney Friends for Change grant, students must be between the ages of 5 and 18. Legally, if students are younger than 13, they must have someone older than 13 prepare and submit the application for them.)
For guidelines and additional information, visi the Disney Friends for Change website. Application deadline is Wednesday, February 29, 2012.
NEW **ING Unsung Heroes
Turn your great ideas into reality for your students
Are you an educator with a class project that is short on funding but long on potential? Do you know a teacher looking for grant dollars? ING Unsung Heroes® could help you turn great ideas into reality for students.
For 15 years, and with nearly $3.5 million in awarded grants, ING Unsung Heroes has recognized and awarded nearly 1,500 educators for their breakthrough projects to bring classroom teaching to new heights. The program’s “alumni” have inspired success in the classroom and impacted countless numbers of students. Each year, 100 educators are selected to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of those are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000.
To continue the celebration, applications for the 2012 awards are now being accepted. For more information about eligibility and to download the application, visit the ING Unsung Heroes website. Application deadline is Monday, April 30, 2012.
Classical vocalists, instrumentalists, and composers ages 8-18
The Each year, From the Top selects approximately 25 student musicians for the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. This unique scholarship opportunity, made available through support from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, assists talented young musicians who have financial need.
Classical instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers (ages 8-18) who have not yet entered college during the academic year 2011-2012, are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be interested in performing on National Pubic Radio’s From the Top, and demonstrate (in order of importance): exceptional musical talent, unmet financial need, solid academic achievement, and strength of character.
The award includes:
• National exposure through an appearance on From the Top’s radio or television broadcasts
• Up to $10,000 in financial support, which can be applied to instrument purchases and summer music camp travel expenses, tuition, and fees
• Participation in From the Top’s Arts Leadership Orientation
• Design and implementation of an Arts Leadership Project.
Applications are accepted on a rolling admission basis with a postmark deadline of February 1, 2012.
Seniors in high school must apply by the October 1 deadline. All other applicants may apply for any of the three deadlines.
For more information, visit the From the Top website.
**Hungry for Music
Distributing quality musical instruments to underserved children and their instructors
At Hungry for Music, the most important service is putting musical instruments into hungry hands. Children who demonstrate a desire to learn music, or teachers who have willing pupils, but no instruments, are the clients they serve.
Most anyone will attest to the healing power of music; its ability to soothe in times of tension, its ability to transform sadness and aggression into hope and creativity. Music is the prayer through which the world heals itself.
If you or someone you know is hungry for music and cannot afford the means to learn and play, visit the Hungry for Music website for additional information and to submit a request.
**Ezra Jack Keats Minigrants
Small grants help libraries encourage creativity
Public school libraries and public libraries that host programs encouraging literacy and creativity in children can apply for an Ezra Jack Keats Minigrant of $500. Programs focusing on the work of Ezra Jack Keats are welcome, but not required.
Ezra Jack Keats was the first American author/illustrator to give a Black child a central place in a children’s book. The Snowy Day featured a young African-American boy named Peter, and in 1963 it received the Caldecott Award for most distinguished picture book for children. Peter appeared in six more books, growing from a small boy to an adolescent.
Examples of successful minigrant applications include:
* Pen-pal projects bringing disparate communities together
* Multicultural portrait projects
* Art projects culminating in art shows, murals, or quilts
* Bookmaking
* Creation and performance of puppet shows
* Intergenerational journals
Winners are required to submit a final report describing the program funded by the grant.
For guidelines and a downloadable application form, visit the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation website. Great news! Application deadline has been extended to March 15, 2012.
Helping communities help schools
Adopt-A-Classroom invites the community into the classroom in support of teachers and their students. By adopting a classroom, donors form partnerships with specific classrooms providing financial and moral support. The result is a meaningful contribution to education, allowing donors to experience the impact of their efforts and celebrate in a classroom’s success.
Adopt-A-Classroom matches donors with teachers so you can have funds to purchase critical resources and materials for your classroom. By registering, your classroom will be posted on the Adopt-A-Classroom website available for donors to select. When adopted, you will have full discretion to purchase items that meet your unique classroom needs.
Learn more about this program, visit http://www.adoptaclassroom.org
**Healthy Living School Grants
Matching funding for exhibits, healthy snacks, printed materials & more
Cabot Creamery, a cooperative of dairy farmers throughout Vermont and New England, invites you to participate in their school grant program. Cabot Creamery would like to see matching funds or in-kind contributions from another sponsor (such as parent groups, community organizations, or cooperatives) and get a feel for what your program is about.
If approved, the funds can be used for almost anything associated with your program, including: supplies for exhibits, healthy snacks, printed materials, or whatever your project needs.
Here are some examples of the kinds of programs that would be eligible for these grants:
* Wellness Fairs
* Nutrition Workshops for Coaches/Students/Parents
* Promoting Healthy Food Choices in Schools
Applications for grants are accepted year-round. Visit the Cabot Vermont website to learn more about this grant opportunity.
**The NEA Foundation Grants
New Web-Based Application Process Saves Time and Paper, Is Easier To Complete
The NEA Foundation has introduced a Web-based application process for its $2,000 and $5,000 grants to support public school educators' ideas to improve teaching and learning.
Applicants can link directly to the application from The NEA Foundation's website (http://www.neafoundation.org/). After responding to three questions that determine eligibility, applicants complete the process in five simple steps. They are prompted when they've left out any required information, and they are allowed to save their application if they need more time. The process also allows repeat applicants the opportunity to save personal and school information, cutting down on time spent on the administrative portion of the application and allowing more time for the narrative section.
Learning & Leadership Grants
These 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.
Application deadlines: February 1, June 1, October 15
Student Achievement Grants
These grants provide $5,000 to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection.
Application deadlines: February 1, June 1, October 15
** The Fender Music Foundation
Providing opportunities for music instruction
The Fender Music Foundation accepts electronic grant applications throughout the year from 501(c)3 or governmental organizations. Qualifying applicants are established, ongoing and sustainable music programs in the United States, which provide music instruction for people of any age who would not otherwise have the opportunity to make music.
The intent of the program must be music instruction, not music appreciation or entertainment, and the participants/students cannot be professional or career musicians.
Selected programs fall into the following categories:
* In-school music classes, in which the students make music
* After-school music programs that are not run by the school
* Music therapy programs, in which the participants make the music
Almost all of the grants awarded are for traditional instruments and the equipment necessary to play them. In order to be eligible for a grant, the instruments and/or equipment must stay in the program for the life of the instrument/equipment and must be played/used by the participants.
Applications are received all year long, and reviewed three times a year. Grant awards range from $500 to $5,000 in value. Applicants are notified by mail if a grant is awarded or denied.
For more information and to complete the online application, visit http://www.fendermusicfoundation.org/grants/index.cfm?sec=info .
**Science & Math: SWEPT – Summer Program for Teachers
Providing scientific work experiences for teachers
Scientific Work Experience Programs for Teachers (SWEPTS) are summer programs in which elementary and secondary science and math teachers work with scientists or engineers to do supervised, paid work in areas that are relevant to subjects that they teach. Returning to the classroom, educators integrate their newly acquired knowledge and skills into their teaching.
SWEPT Benefits:
SWEPT experiences provide teachers with:
* insight into work environments and the skills necessary for student success after graduation;
* examples to make science, mathematics, and technology instruction more relevant;
* connection to a larger professional community; and
* paid summer work experience.
SWEPTs provide industry, labor, government, higher education, alliances, and other community groups with cost-effective methods of contributing to systemic reform that promotes better science, mathematics, and technology education. For host organizations, SWEPT involvement leads to linkages with teachers and students, better understanding of the challenges faced by schools and teachers, and closer relationships with schools.
Applications received year-round. For more information visit http://www.triangle-coalition.org/swept/swept.htm.
Other available include ...
http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
www.teacherscount.org
www.neafoundation.org/grants.htm
http://e-grants.ed.gov/egHome.asp
http://www.learningis4everyone.org/component/option,com_bookmarks/Itemid,36/
www.k12grants.org/newsletter.htm
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/business/grants.html