(Elk Meadow students celebrate receiving their Classroom Grant award submitted by teacher Kathy Woodford)
The Education Foundation for Bend-La Pine Schools recently announced that the organization will be offering a new classroom funding opportunity to educators in the Bend-La Pine School District this fall. The first-ever Back-to-School Classroom Grants for Educators program provides an exclusive opportunity for public school K-12 educators to apply for limited funding of between $200-$1,000 for classroom projects.
For over 30 years the Education Foundation has served the K-12 educational community by providing resources to prepare students for success and the future through exceptional educational and extracurricular opportunities.
“We couldn’t be more excited for this new form of funding to our local educators,” stated Executive Director Michelle Johnson. “Educators really feel the financial strain at the beginning of each school year, and the Education Foundation works hard to alleviate this in any way we can. The Back-to-School classroom grants program is a perfect way for our educators in Central Oregon to gain added support for their school-year programs and offer more to their students.”
The mission of the Foundation is to prepare Bend, La Pine and Sunriver K-12 public school students for success and the future through exceptional and extracurricular opportunities.
The Back-to-School grants program is a new form of funding that is separate from the Foundation’s spring Classroom Grants program. This past academic year, the Education Foundation funded over $70,000 for 41 contributory and supportive classroom grants from educators, with priority given to Title 1 and high need schools. The Foundation has supported the funding of District-wide coding kits, drones, music and art enhancements, science lab improvements, school gardens and trauma informed care training, among other projects.
The generous support the Education Foundation has received from the local business community and hard work of the Board has made this funding possible and will support educators for the upcoming academic year. These needs can range from general support or current projects involving STEM, art, music and wellness projects.
“Since 1988, the Education Foundation has invested over $1.6 million into our schools through our programs,” said Education Foundation Board President Wendy Graunitz, Manager of OnPoint Community Credit Union. “From innovative Classroom Grants to Activity Fee support for high need middle and high school students to participate in after school athletics, to scholarships for graduating Latinx and Perseverance Award students, our organization is committed to providing our local educators with support that goes directly to the needs of our students in their classrooms day-in and day-out. The Back-to-School grants program is just another example of how our Board is innovating for education!”
The application window is September 4-October 18. Details and application instructions can be found on the Education Foundation’s website at engagedminds.org where a sample application PDF has been posted.
