Grants

The American Geological Institute (AGI) sponsors contests for students to get involved in Earth Science Week.  Contests vary each year based on the theme, some pasts contests have included: Earth Science Beyond Your Front Door Photography Contest (asks people to explore the geologic world through the camera); Studying Our Earth Visual Arts Contest (for K-5 students to show themselves as earth scientists actively studying our planet, through drawing or painting); and Earth Connections Essay Contest (for 6-9 grade students to write about the interconnected geologic processes that take place in their community and how those processes in turn affect them).

The Ronald W. Mitchell Convention Travel Grant provides funding to allow teachers in grades 1-6 who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend an IRA annual convention. Two grants are awarded each year for up to $1,500 each to support first-time attendees. Applicants must be IRA members in good standing.

This award is to recognize outstanding contributions to creative & innovative use of technology in education by K-12 educators or district-level education personnel.

Each year, the program selects 100 educators to receive grants of $2,000 each to help fund their innovative class projects. At least one award will be granted in each of the 50 United States, provided one or more qualified applications are received from each state. Three of these educators are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000.

Kids In Need Teacher Grants provide K-12 educators with funding to provide innovative learning opportunities for their students. The Kids In Need Foundation helps to engage students in the learning process by supporting our most creative and important educational resource — our nation's teachers.

What is Project Ignition? It’s a grant program that uses service-learning to help address teen driver safety issues.

Here’s our challenge to students in grades 9 through 12 and their teachers or advisors:

Work together to develop a campaign to address the issue of teen driver safety in your community.

How you choose to do that is completely up to you! With any service-learning project, the goal is to make an impact in your community in the most creative way possible. The only limit is your imagination.

Each year, schools whose campaigns are judged to be among the top 10 in the nation receive $5,000 to help cover expenses to come to The National Service-Learning Conference.

The National C.L.E.A.N.® Awards program recognizes the contributions that custodians make to public health in their schools, communities, and their profession. Awards will be presented to school custodians who demonstrate outstanding leadership in the field of school cleanliness, and who reflect the contributions that education support professionals (ESP) can make to public health. The award program is a joint initiative of the National Education Association (NEA), the NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN) and the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), formerly the Soap and Detergent Association. 

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.

http://www.neafoundation.org/pages/educators/grant-programs/grant-application/learning-and-leadership/

The Florida Department of Education's Just Read, Florida! Office encourages all students in grades K-12 to create a 26-second public service announcement on the topic "Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! - Champions Read, Readers Lead." The contest is part of 2011 Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!, a week-long salute that celebrates and promotes the importance of literacy in Florida. Entries should be created with a combination of video and audio effects, must include credits and may not include any copyrighted music, footage or images.

http://www.justreadflorida.com/literacyweek.asp

C-SPAN's StudentCam is an annual national video documentary competition that encourages students to think seriously about issues that affect our communities and our nation. Students are asked to create a short (5-8 minute) video documentary on a topic related to the competition theme "Washington D.C. -- Through My Lens" Maximum award: $5,000, plus $1,000 in digital equipment for school. Eligibility: individuals or teams of two to three students, grades 6-8 or grades 9-12.

The Bezos Scholars Program @ the Aspen Institute seeks twelve top public high school juniors and twelve dynamic educators to receive seven-day, all-expenses-paid scholarships to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival, June 26 to July 2, 2011, in Aspen, Colorado. The program was created by the Bezos Family Foundation to help cultivate the next generation of leaders.  Following attendance at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the student and educator teams will return home and create Local Ideas Festivals in their schools.  Visit the Bezos Family Foundation Web site to review the school and scholar criteria, view videos, and download the program flyer, application form, and an FAQ.

The Lemelson-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Program, which is funded by the Lemelson Foundation and administered by MIT's School of Engineering, created the InvenTeam initiative to provide high school students in the United States with the opportunity to cultivate their creativity and to experience invention.

InvenTeams are comprised of high school students, teachers, and mentors who invent technological solutions to real-world problems.

InvenTeam students rely on inquiry and hands-on problem solving as they apply lessons from science, technology, engineering, and math to develop invention prototypes. InvenTeam projects span many fields, from assistive devices to environmental technologies and consumer goods. Applicants are encouraged to consider the needs of the world's poorest people (those earning $2 or less per day) when considering ideas.

Up to thirty-five finalists will be selected from the initial pool of applicants to continue to the next level. The high school teachers of these teams receive Excite Awards and are invited to EurekaFest, a multi-day event celebrating invention at MIT in June. Travel, food, and lodging are provided. Up to fifteen teams will be selected from the finalists to receive grants of up to $10,000 each for the 2011-12 academic year. Grant funds may be used for research, materials, and learning experiences related to the project. Any teacher who facilitates an extracurricular project may allot up to $2,000 of an InvenTeam grant toward a teacher's stipend.

Science, math, and technology teachers at public, private, and vocational high schools are eligible to apply. An InvenTeam can be composed of a small group of students as an extracurricular activity or an entire class. The optimal size for teams is considered to be five to fifteen students. The teacher, assisted by students, is required to apply for the grant. The teacher also recruits students, monitors funds, and supports students through the process.

For the 2011-12 InvenTeams program, the early feedback deadline is March 18, 2011, while the initial application deadline is April 22, 2011.

Visit the MIT Web site for complete program guidelines and information on previous team projects.

Each year, Mantis presents the Mantis Awards to charitable and educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their host communities.

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are among the nation's highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science and recognize highly qualified teachers for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession. Maximum award: $10,000; a paid trip for two to Washington, D.C. to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities; a citation signed by the President of the United States. Eligibility: teachers grades 7-12 in a public or private school with 5 years experience teaching math or science. 



The Kohl's Kids Who Care Program recognizes and rewards young volunteers who transform their communities for the better. Maximum award: $10,000 scholarship toward post-secondary education. Eligibility: youth 6 to 18 years old, not graduated from high school by March 15, 2011.

The Yamaha Young Performing Artists Program (YYPA) recognizes outstanding young musicians from the world of classical, jazz, and contemporary music. Each year, the YYPA Finalists are invited to perform at the Music for All Summer Symposium held in late June. Maximum award: $5,000 in retail credit towards a professional model Yamaha instrument, as well as a series of clinics and master classes with renowned artists, designed to help winners launch their music career. Finalists will also receive a professional recording of their performances and national press coverage. Eligibility: musicians ages 16-21.

The Kid's Science Challenge is a chance for students to submit an idea, question, or problem for a participating scientist to solve. Maximum award: roundtrip airfare for the winner and his/her parent or legal guardian from a major airport nearest the winner home, hotel accommodations, and select events/sightseeing and meals, to visit the scientist who participated in his or her winning entry. Eligibility: all legal U.S. residents who are students enrolled in 3rd through 6th grade at a public, private, parochial, or home school located in one of the 50 states.


http://www.kidsciencechallenge.com/#/home



The NABT Evolution Education Award, sponsored by The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) and the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), recognizes innovative classroom teaching and community education efforts to promote the accurate understanding of biological evolution. Maximum award: $1,000, a recognition plaque to be presented at the NABT Professional Development Conference, and a one-year complimentary NABT membership. Eligibility: biology and life science teachers.          

Nominate a program for the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award and be highlighted in one of Afterschool Alliance's Issue Briefs: Providing Opportunities for Service Learning for Middle School Students; Aligning Afterschool with the School Day for Middle School; Addressing Middle School Bullying; and Supporting Literacy for Middle School Students.  Each of the 5 recipients will receive an award of $10,000 to be used to continue or improve upon the highlighted program.

The Purpose Of The CSP Is To Increase National Understanding Of The Charter School Model And To Expand The Number Of High-quality Charter Schools Available To Students Across The Nation By Providing Financial Assistance For The Planning, Program Design, And Initial Implementation Of Charter Schools, And To Evaluate The Effects Of Charter Schools, Including Their Effects On Students, Student Academic Achievement, Staff, And Parents. Non-SEA Eligible Applicants In States In Which The SEA Does Not Have An Approved Application Under The CSP May Receive Direct Grants From The Secretary For Planning, Program Design, And Initial Implementation Of Charter Schools, And To Carry Out Dissemination Activities.

Educators Will Be Honored For Their Work Among America's Youth, Building And Supporting The Next Generation Of Our Nation's Entrepreneurs. The candidate must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident employed full-time as an educator at an accredited American school (grades K-12), college or university. The application must conceive and implement an innovative course, program or project which develops, among students, a deeper understanding and appreciation of the American private enterprise system. The nominee's program, course or project must be operating or initiated during the previous academic year.

This Award Recognizes One Outstanding Classroom Science Teacher (K-12) Who Has Had A Positive Impact On His Or Her Students, School, And Community Through Exemplary Classroom Science Teaching

AASA’s Educational Administration Scholarships Were Created In 1949 To Provide Incentive, Honor And Financial Assistance To Outstanding Graduate Students In School Administration Who Intend To Make The School Superintendency A Career.

The National Science Teachers Association Distinguished Fellow Award recognizes NSTA members who have made extraordinary contributions to science education through personal commitment to education, specifically science teaching or science; educational endeavors and original work that position recipients as exemplary leaders in their field; or significant contributions to the profession that reflect dedication to the NSTA as well the entire educational community. Maximum award: recognition at the NSTA Awards Banquet in conjunction with the NSTA National Conference. Eligibility: longstanding (at least 10 years) NSTA members.

The American Management Association and Leader to Leader Institute scholarship program is intended to assist social-sector nonprofit organizations in developing strong leadership. The AMA Scholarship is designed to provide nonprofit leaders with an opportunity to step out of the day-to-day, interact with peers across the sectors, and develop practical skills they can apply immediately within their organizations. Maximum award: one-year scholarship. Eligibility: employees of 501(c)3 organizations with a minimum of three years of work experience in the social sector.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Student & Educator Contests

As part of the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, 2011, Florida students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to participate in student art (grades K-3) and essay (grades 4-12) contests centered around the theme, "Celebrating Hispanic Leaders in Business - Past, Present and Future." Students, parents, teachers and principals are also invited to nominate full-time Hispanic educators in elementary, middle and high schools for the Hispanic Heritage Month Excellence in Education Award. All contest entries and nomination forms must be postmarked by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Sept. 23, 2011.
  
For full information about the Hispanic Heritage Month student and teacher contests, including complete guidelines and entry forms, please visit http://www.FloridaHispanicHeritage.com.

The National Science Teachers Association PASCO STEM Educator awards recognize excellence and innovation in the field of STEM education at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Maximum award: $1,500 to cover travel expenses to attend the NSTA national conference and be part of a STEM share-a-thon workshop; a $1000 monetary gift; a $2000 certificate for PASCO scientific products; and recognition during the Awards Banquet at the NSTA national conference. Eligibility: K-12 STEM educators with a minimum of 3 years teaching experience in the STEM fields, who implement innovative inquiry-based, technology-infused STEM programs.

Award to develop community-wide reading program. 501(c)(3); a division of state, local, or tribal government; or a tax-exempt public library. Eligible applicants include such organizations as literary centers, libraries, museums, colleges and universities, art centers, historical societies, arts councils, tribal governments, humanities councils, literary festivals, and arts organizations.

This is a competitive grant program to educate students about math, science, technology, and engineering.

The following guidelines must be adhered to in order to receive the AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant:
1. Teacher must be a current AIAA Educator Associate member or an AIAA Professional member actively engaged as a K-12 classroom educator prior to receiving the grant.

2. One grant per teacher will be considered under this program. An Educator Associate may apply for up to $200 of grant funding. (NOTE: THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO LEGO GRANTS). LEGO GRANTS: Grants will be made for up to $100 per team for participation in robotics competitions. The AIAA Foundation should be acknowledged as a team sponsor. A maximum one-time grant of up to $200 (two Educator Associate members) will be granted to each school for participation in a robotics competition.

Grants will be considered on a quarterly basis in January, March, June, and September. Grants must be received one month prior to be considered for the upcoming cycle. For example, grant proposals to be evaluated in January must be received by AIAA by 30 November.

Each year,as part of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's (PCRM) HealthySchool Lunches Program, PCRM presents the Golden Carrot Awards to food service professionals who have developed and implemented a healthful and successful school lunch program.
 This award recognizes food service Professionals who offer school children a range of healthy options, especially a varity of vegetarian foods and nondairy beverage choices.

Each year, the Barron Prize honors twenty-five winners nationwide. Half of the winners have focused on helping their communities and fellow beings; half have focused on protecting the health and sustainability of the environment. The goal of the Barron Prize is to celebrate such heroic young people—and to inspire others to do their part.

If you are an adult who has solid knowledge of a young person's heroic activities, and you are not related to the nominee, please tell us all about your young hero. That student coud be awarded $2,500, to be applied to his or her higher education or service project, along with other related prizes and honors.

http://www.nea.org/grants/Gloria-Barron-Prize-%20Prize-for-Young-Heroes.html