Idaho Education Association (IEA) members have access to a range of grant programs through the National Education Association (NEA) and other organizations, which can help fund classroom projects and professional development.
Several IEA members have recently benefited from NEA grants. Belinda Sell, a member of the Moscow Education Association, received a $3,500 Learning and Leadership grant to attend a two-week course on Modeling Instruction. Mary Anne McGrory and Sarah Olds from the Pocatello Education Association were awarded $3,600 to attend a social studies conference in Washington, D.C., where U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is scheduled to speak. “It was not that hard to apply, and now we get to go to this conference that we’ve been wanting to go to for years,” McGrory said. Last year, four IEA members participated in the Global Learning Fellowship program by traveling to Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique.
The NEA Foundation offers several grant opportunities for educators. The Learning and Leadership Grants focus on professional development and instructional innovation, offering awards of $1,500 or $5,000 with three annual application windows. The Student Success and Envision Equity Grants provide up to $5,000 for project-based learning initiatives that emphasize equity and cultural inclusion; applications are accepted until September 15 for the current cycle with additional windows in spring (https://www.neafoundation.org/educator-grants-and-fellowships). The NEA Global Learning Fellowship helps public school educators integrate global competency into their classrooms; next year’s cohort will travel to South Africa.
Nationwide grants are also available from organizations such as the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (up to $5,000 for literacy programs: https://www.dgliteracy.org/grant-programs), Foundation for Rural Service Community Grant Program (up to $5,000: https://www.frs.org/programs/grant-program/community-grant), Fund for Teachers Fellowship Grant Awards (self-designed awards: https://fundforteachers.org), McCarthy Dressman Education Foundation (academic enrichment grants up to $10,000 per year: https://mccartheydressman.org/academic-enrichment-grants/), Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (support for music programs: https://mhopus.org/instrument-grants), National Council for the Social Studies Grant for Geographic Literacy ($2,500 plus travel reimbursement: https://www.socialstudies.org/membership/grant-geographic-literacy), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics ($1,500–$24,000: https://www.nctm.org/Grants), State Farm Foundation (awards up to $100,000 by invitation only: https://www.statefarm.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility/community-grants), Toshiba America Foundation ($1,000–$5,000 for science/math teachers: https://www.toshiba.com/taf), U.S. Department of Education (varied grants: https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/apply-grant/available-grants), California Casualty Athletic Grants and Music & Arts Grants ($300–$1,000 through IEA Member Benefits partner: https://www.calcasathletics.com or https://www.calcasmusicartsgrant.com).
Idaho-specific opportunities include Idaho Humanities Council K-12 Grants—currently on hold due to federal budget cuts but expected to resume—which support lesson plans and curriculum development; Idaho National Laboratory K-12 Education Grants offer up to $10,000 for STEM education needs in Idaho schools (https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/partnering-with-inl/k-12-stem/k-12-education-grants); Idaho Community Foundation provides multiple student-focused programs with awards up to $20,000 (https://www.idahocf.org/grants-scholarships.php#scroll_grants); Rocky Mountain Power Foundation focuses on community enhancement including education/STEM with typical awards between $2,000–$5,000 (https://www.rockymountainpower.net/community/foundation.html); WinCo Foods supports school fundraisers in communities served by its stores; Idaho Forest Products Forest Education Grants provide up to $250 year-round for forest-related education projects in Idaho youth programs (https://www.idahoforests.org/content-item/forest-education-grants).
Educators who have used other grant sources are encouraged by IEA staffer Julie Sarasqueta via email at [email protected].
