Kids In Need Teacher Grants Help Teachers Realize Their Dreams
Applications for 2009 Teacher Grants are now closed.
The list of 2009 Grant recipients has been posted!
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.
How are the Teacher Grants funded?
The Teacher Grants are funded by the retail
and education credit union sponsors.
The 2009 Sponsors are
Have you seen us on TV?
SunnyD is currently running a commercial about their Book Spree promotion, and the Kids In Need Foundation is fortunate to be the recipient of a donation from SunnyD based on the number of UPC labels submitted by teachers. Here’s how it works:
2 ways to participate
1) Collect 20 labels with your class, and get 20 books for your classroom!* Additional labels collected are turned into donations for Kids In Need Founation
or
2) Collect labels and help raise money for Kids In Need (10 cents per label)!
SunnyD will select 20 age-appropriate books for the classroom. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. While supplies last. Subsequent entries will go toward a donation to the Kids In Need Foundation; each label donated will contribute 10 cents to Kids In Need, with SunnyD donating a minimum of $100,000 and up to $300,000. Program ends November 14, 2009; entries must be postmarked no later than November 14, 2009. Thank you for making classrooms sunnier places.
Learn more at SunnyD's Book Spree Web site.
How do teachers get an application?
Retail sponsors and designated education credit unions make the grant applications available at their outlets during the back-to-school season. Applications from the sponsors are also available on this Web site.
How many Teacher Grants are awarded?
Teacher Grant awards range from $100 to $500 each and are used to finance creative classroom projects. The number of grants awarded varies from year to year, depending on the amount of the funds being requested. Typically, 200-300 grants are awarded each year.
What is the selection criteria?
The applications are judged according to a rubric which emphasizes innovativeness and merit, clarity of objectives, replication feasibility, suitability of evaluation methods, and cost effectiveness. See guidelines and suggestions here.
Who is eligible?
All certified K-12 teachers in the U.S. are eligible.
What type of projects are funded?
At the end of the academic year, teachers report on the outcome of the funded projects. Some examples of winning projects include:
- Twilight Zone "Eye of the Beholder" - This project consisted of remaking a Twilight Zone episode in its entirety from the original script. Students cast the drama, built the sets, designed and rigged the lighting and sound, applied the make-up, ran the cameras, edited the video tape, designed the titles and credits, and put on an event for the premiere showing of the completed video.
- Charged Cars - Math in Motion - Students designed and built a battery-operated vehicle with a wheelbase of 40 cm designed to be mathematically accurate to travel and stop at any designated point between 1 and 10 meters.
Winning projects are put in the form of project ideas and are published as The Guide to Award Winning Projects. CD's of the Guide are distributed to teachers through the Kids In Need National Network of Resource Centers and from the Foundation office.
