Innovation is key to successful classroom and schoolwide grants
Sarasota, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2018) – The Education Foundation of Sarasota County has announced classroom and schoolwide grant awards totaling $316,468 for the 2018-19 academic year.
Some 32,000 students will be impacted by the awards that directly benefit 251 teachers and 41 K-12 schools.
The scope of grants funded through EducateSRQ, the Foundation’s signature program, ranges from $250 for individual classroom consumables to $10,000 for schoolwide, multidisciplinary, hands-on learning experiences that infuse lesson plans with excitement. All Sarasota County district teachers and principals are eligible to apply.
“These grants empower our teachers to be creative, collaborative and innovative in developing concepts that spark curiosity, engagement and inquiry in the classroom,” said Jennifer Vigne, president of the Education Foundation.
Vigne noted that the value of the awards is magnified when successful projects are available for replication across the district and statewide education systems.
The grants program ties directly to the Education Foundation’s mission to: enhance the potential of students; promote excellence in teaching; and inspire innovation in education, guided by strategic philanthropy.
“Feedback from teachers and community partners helps us keep the EducateSRQ grants program forward-focused,” said Kati Burns, director of programs at the Education Foundation. “By emphasizing ingenuity, collaboration and shared innovative ideas, the awards have impact across disciplines, grade levels and schools.”
In addition to classroom and schoolwide grants, the immersive grant, while not open for application, is included in the awards total of the EducateSRQ program. This school year the Education Foundation anticipates funding five immersive grants that integrate exciting, collaborative interdisciplinary and schoolwide curriculum and investigative problem-solving.
More information about the EducateSRQ grants programs is available at www.EdFoundationSRQ.org.
-end-
About the Education Foundation of Sarasota County
The Education Foundation of Sarasota County is an independent partner working to advance philanthropic support for Sarasota County Schools. Its mission is to enhance the potential of students, promote excellence in teaching and inspire innovation in education. Guided by the belief that education changes lives, the Education Foundation strives to match each donor’s passion with high-impact projects created to ensure students graduate with purpose and are prepared for a post-secondary pathway. The Education Foundation of Sarasota County and its philanthropic investors are champions for students, teachers, and schools. For more information on how to be a champion for education, visit EdFoundationSRQ.org.