Although Congress recently passed a stimulus plan to provide over $50 billion to public schools, school districts across the country will unquestionably still face funding issues. Thankfully, several public companies, as well as some private individuals, are stepping up to the plate and offering both school districts and individual students grants to cover school expenses.
The following is an updated list of grants available for the 2021 school year:
#1. Academic Enrichment Grants
The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation sponsors proposals that enhance student learning and educational quality, paying particular attention to those that best serve the at-risk and under-funded, including:
- Curriculum that excites and challenges
- Inquiry projects that promote reflection and growth
- After-school programs that enrich and inspire
Foundation partners with individuals to expand educational opportunities for America’s youth that inspire students by nurturing their curiosity about the world and their place in it. Scholarships provide far more than just tuition and books; grants that benefit the lives of more than just those who receive them; and results that reach far beyond the classroom in which the projects are introduced.
Website: www.mccartheydressman.org
#2. Adopt a Classroom
This classroom giving website wants to stop teachers from having to buy their own school supplies. At Adopt a Classroom, teachers can post whatever tools and supplies they need, and donors can provide the funds necessary. Adopt a Classroom offers customized programs that engage sponsors, customers, employees, and vendor partners.
This is a great opportunity to share the story of your classroom and explain exactly what you need to expand student access to technology.
Website: www.adoptaclassroom.org
#3. AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant Program
The AIAA Foundation believes that one of the most significant means to inspire and advance the future of Aerospace is to fund grants to meet the unmet and unfunded educational needs of students. Each school year, AIAA awards grants of up to $500 to worthy projects that significantly influence student learning.
Website: www.aiaa.org/get-involved/students-educators/aiaa-foundation-classroom-grant-program
#4. American Chemistry Council
The Future of Stem Scholars Initiative (FOSSI) provides opportunities for manufacturers, supply chain partners and other stakeholders to fund scholarships, create internships and facilitate mentoring and leadership training for students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Website: www.americanchemistry.com
#5. ASM Materials Education Foundation Awards
Teachers who want to use technology to bring materials science to their classroom can apply for this ASM International grant.
The main goal of these $500 grants is to help students explore the world of materials sciences early on. By exposing students to “metals, glasses, ceramics, semiconductors, and polymers” in grades K–12, they’ll be better equipped to choose a career path in materials science.
Website: www.asmfoundation.org
#6. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The purpose of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is to empower leaders who are dedicated to making America’s public schools exceptional by sharing resources and key learnings gained through our collective work. The foundation knows that the best ideas come from the people closest to the work and the communities they are serving. It wants to learn from organizations that have already demonstrated outstanding outcomes. It regularly posts Requests for Information (RFIs) and Requests for Proposals
Website: usprogram.gatesfoundation.org/what-we-do/funding-opportunities
#7. Corning Incorporated Foundation Grants
Corning Incorporated Foundation provides a number of grants for technology education. Submissions must be from communities where Corning has a corporate presence. This includes cities such as Palo Alto and Winston-Salem, among many others. The majority of grants go to community-based programs where Corning has a strong presence. Typically, this means the program should impact people within an approximate 20-mile radius of a Corning business location with at least 50 employees. In addition, programs should impact large numbers of individuals over a significant period of time. The Foundation also makes direct grants on a case by case basis to national or international organizations in times of widespread natural disaster or other emergencies.
Website: https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/community-impact-and-investment
#8. Donate Technology
Established in 1984, Digitunity, an initiative of the National Cristina Foundation (NCF) is a national voice for digital inclusion, providing advocacy, impact, and insight. Since inception, Digitunity has facilitated the donation of hundreds of thousands of previously used computers to organizations that provide education, rehabilitation, and job training to people in need. Digitunity history of expertise in the area of technology reuse allows it to play a unique role today in addressing the many facets of the digital divide, including access to devices, connectivity, and skills development. Digitunity is working to build national awareness of digital inclusion and strengthen the work of practitioners in communities nationwide.
Website: www.donatetechnology.org
#9. Donors Choose
Donors Choose connects classrooms in need with donors who want to support certain projects. Charles Best, former teacher and CEO of Donors Choose, founded the site to affect systemic change in the education system.
Website: www.donorschoose.org
#10. Funding Factory
FundingFactory is open to all school and nonprofit organizations (Causes) throughout the contiguous United States. Its innovative mission advances the needs of students, teachers and the environment. The fundraiser asks teachers to donate toner and inkjet printer cartridges to be recycled. In exchange, donors receive a monetary refund that can be put toward new technology.
Website: www.fundingfactory.com
#11. Innovative Technology Education Fund
Innovative Technology Education Fund (ITEF) is on a mission to promote realistic innovation skills that can be applied in everyday situations. The organization wants to give teachers the permission, tools and means to teach innovation in their own ways. Individual classrooms, multiple grade levels and entire schools in the St. Louis area are eligible for ITEF grants.
Website: www.innovteched.com/itefgrant
#12. Lemelson-MIT Program InvenTeam Grants
Since 2003, the InvenTeam® initiative has been changing the way educators teach and providing young people – especially young women and students from underrepresented backgrounds – with creative problem solving and 21st-century skills to flourish in college and career. High school students experience invention and cultivate creativity through an InvenTeam grant of up to $10K. The InvenTeam initiative has worked with 2,900 students across the U.S. to invent technological solutions to real-world problems.
Website: lemelson.mit.edu/
#13. Nvidia
Higher Education and Research Grants
NVIDIA encourages academic discovery and innovation with support for faculty, researchers, and students. Support ranges from access to the industry’s most advanced GPU computing power to connections to our researchers and engineers.
Website: www.nvidia.com/
#14. Technology Education Foundation Grants
The Technology Education Foundation, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) also known as “TEF”, is an invaluable resource to Dane County and the greater Madison area. TEF funds and supports community organizations and groups that provide important technology resources and technology education to residents – especially those who help close the “technology gap”. TEF funds benefit children, teens and adults of all ages who do not have access to or have only limited access to technology. All K–12 schools in southern Wisconsin can submit proposals to the Technology Education Foundation (TEF) grant program. The grant’s proceeds come from the Berbee Derby, an annual race in Madison. The TEF believes that “technology is a crucial asset and tool” and that every member of the community should have access to it.
Proposals must include a detailed description of the project, including which problem you’re addressing and how you’ll measure and track success.
Website: www.techedfoundation.com/tef-grants
