Grant Opportunities Available

Current Opportunities:

ADE Launches Transportation Modernization Grant Program

The Arkansas Department of Education is pleased to launch the $5 million Transportation Modernization Grant Program. Created through the LEARNS Act, the program focuses on innovative approaches to transportation for students who attend public schools, open-enrollment charter schools, and licensed child care centers serving publicly-funded students.

At least 25 percent of the grants will be awarded to support rural and remote public school districts. The following entities are eligible to apply:

Public school districts,
Open-enrollment public charter schools,
Early childhood care and education programs or their local early childhood coordinators,
Cities,
Towns,
Counties,
Education service cooperatives, and
Non-profit organizations.

A committee will score applications based on student safety, cost effectiveness, innovation, and the need and demand.
To apply, visit https://dese.link/TransportationGrantApplication. To learn more about the program, see https://learns.ade.arkansas.gov/.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Partnership Grants

The GEAR UP program is a discretionary grant program that encourages eligible entities to provide support, and maintain a commitment, to eligible students from low-income backgrounds, including students with disabilities, to assist the students in obtaining a secondary school diploma (or its recognized equivalent) and to prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education. Under the GEAR UP program, the Department awards grants to two types of entities: (1) States and (2) Partnerships consisting of at least one degree-granting institution of higher education (IHE) and at least one local educational agency (LEA). View more details here.

National Institute of Justice: Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative

This funding opportunity seeks applications for rigorous research and evaluation projects that advance understanding of OJP Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiatives (CVIPI). The CVIPI program provides resources to support evidence-informed violence intervention and prevention programs in communities across the United States.
NIJ will host a webinar discussing this opportunity on January 23, 2025, from 1:30-3:00pm ET. Register now. Details on the opportunity are available here.

Renew America's Schools Program

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the $500 million Renew America’s Schools Program to promote the implementation of clean energy improvements at K-12 public schools across the country. This first-of-its-kind investment, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), aims to help school communities make energy upgrades that will decrease energy use and costs, improve indoor air quality, and foster healthier learning environments. Click here for more information.

America's Field Trip

America’s Field Trip is a contest that invites students across the country in grades 3–12 to be part of America’s 250th anniversary by sharing their perspectives on what America means to them — with the opportunity to earn an unforgettable field trip experience at some of the nation’s most iconic historic and cultural landmarks.

Students are asked to submit writing or original artwork in response to the contest’s prompt: “What does America mean to you?”

Submissions will be accepted until Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. View more information and submit here.

Science Education Partnership Award

The SEPA program supports educational activities that encourage pre-college students (pre-kindergarten to grade 12) from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
SEPA Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) PAR-23-137 funds two types of projects: (1) classroom-based projects for pre-college students and teachers and (2) informal science education (ISE) projects conducted in outside-the-classroom venues such as science centers, museums and libraries. A SEPA project may focus on one or more of the following activities centered on any discipline of health research within NIH’s mission: Courses for Skills Development, Research Experiences, Mentoring Activities, Curriculum or Methods Development, and Outreach. Projects that support quantitative and computational skills development are strongly encouraged. View more information here.

Discovery Research PreK-12

The goal of the Discovery Research PreK-12 program (DRK-12) is to catalyze research and development that enhances all preK-12 teachers’ and students’ opportunities to engage in high-quality learning experiences related to the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Outcomes of DRK-12 projects can include but are not limited to promising, evidence-based products that can be used by others to support the success of all teachers and all students (e.g., curriculum, teaching and research tools, and models of collaboration). View more information here.

Ongoing Opportunities:

Action for Healthy Kids NourishEd District Partnership Grant

School district staff apply for support for district-level policy and professional development, as well as funding and professional development for schools within the district to support curricula/programs, best practices and policy implementation, and family-school partnerships to address food access and nutrition education (NourishEd) and provide a learning environment where students are healthy in body and mind. All grants include monetary and in-kind support from AFHK. More information can be found here.

AdoptAClassroom.org

Spotlight Funds are a grant program for K-12 educators. Each fund supports a specific subject area, or addresses a need facing K-12 educators and students. We currently have five Spotlight Funds: Arts, COVID-19 Relief, Inclusive Classroom, Natural Disaster Relief, Racial Equity in Schools, and STEM. Educators who receive a Spotlight Fund Grant can use the funds to order the tools and materials they need to support their curriculum and meet their students’ needs. See here for more information on each fund, and how to apply.

Arkansas FarmToSchool Grants and Funding

Grants and funding are crucial to the success of farm to school programs. Grants can fund the development of a school garden, cover the cost of new kitchen equipment, and even buy educational supplies to lead farm to school classes. Follow this link to view the various opportunities available!

Arkansas State Parks Field Trip Grant Programs

Is your school considering a field trip to an Arkansas State Park? Arkansas’ 52 state parks are natural treasures full of cultural heritage set on gorgeous mountains, lakes, streams, and forests. Many State Parks offer staff-led programs and activities, aligned to state curriculum standards, which will help your students get in touch with nature, science, and Arkansas history. They can be further cross-curriculum-focused to integrate social studies, art, language, and physical education.

Schools can receive up to $1,000 specifically for that purpose thanks to the Arkansas State Parks Field Trip Grant Program. The grants will focus on a classroom visiting the park during the school year. Priority will be given to field trips that align with the school curriculum and are between September and April. Find more information here.

ASTA Teacher Scholarship and Classroom Grants

ASTA Teacher Scholarship and Classroom Grants Teacher scholarships and classroom grants are competitive awards available to all educators in Arkansas. Apply online or by mail to receive up to $500 for professional development or classroom materials. Applications are accepted with a recurring deadline of March 31 and October 31.

Cook Center for Human Connection: Calm Room Grant

The Cook Center for Human Connection, is a non-profit organization that brings together the best organizations, programs and products to provide mental health support, and enhance human connections essential for people to thrive, is offering a matching grant of $5000 per school (for up to 20 schools) to install a Calm Room in their school building. More details of the grant can be viewed here.

Classics for Kids Foundation

The mission of Classics for Kids Foundation is to empower young people to shape positive futures through music, build sustainable stringed instrument music programs, and provide grants for high-quality instruments. If your school believes in the role of fine instruments in your program and can show evidence of need and commitment to raising matching funds, you are a strong candidate for the Classics for Kids matching grant program. Applications accepted quarterly. Deadlines: June 30, September 30, December 31 and March 31. Find more information here.

Cloudflare Project Cybersafe Schools

Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a better Internet. It is our pleasure to introduce an initiative aimed at K-12 public school districts: Project Cybersafe Schools.Project Cybersafe Schools will help support small K-12 public school districts, for free, by providing cloud email security to protect against a broad spectrum of threats including malware-less Business Email Compromise, multichannel phishing, credential harvesting, and other targeted attacks. Project Cybersafe Schools will also protect against Internet threats with DNS filtering by preventing users from reaching unwanted or harmful online content like ransomware or phishing sites and can be deployed to comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). More information can be found here.

COVID-19 Student Support Recovery Grant

Applications are accepted from local education agencies, charter schools, public schools, nonpublic, and private schools to implement SBHSN's evidence-based mental healthcare program. The purpose of this program is to promote a collaborative and integrated approach amongst the education and healthcare community to ensure students succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. The funding will support the placement of licensed mental health professionals on school campuses. These health professionals will provide mental health services and coordinate academic support activities in collaboration with school district-designated program personnel. More information can be found here.

DESE - Financial Aid Incentives for Educators

Please click here for more information on funding opportunities.

Direct Pay Through the Inflation Reduction Act

Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s “elective pay” (often called “direct pay”) provisions, tax-exempt and governmental entities will, for the first time, be able to receive a payment equal to the full value of tax credits for building qualifying clean energy projects. Unlike competitive grant and loan programs, in which applicants may not receive an award, direct pay allows entities to get their payment if they meet the requirements for both direct pay and the underlying tax credit. For more information about using direct pay on projects that are receiving grants and forgivable loans, click here.

Edthena Innovation Fund

Edthena is introducing a $1.5-million Innovation Fund to support schools and districts with their teacher observation and collaboration initiatives. The Edthena video collaboration platform can help by:

Streamlining feedback to teachers with video observations
Creating opportunities for more teacher-teacher collaboration
Scaling best practices and “what works” examples across the district
Flexible, asynchronous learning that’s still high quality and high impact

Details on how to apply for funding can be found here.

Frances R. Dewing Foundation Grants

The Frances R. Dewing Foundation supports innovation in early childhood education. Emphasis is placed on new, untried or unusual projects and programs that if successful could have a snowball or ripple effect benefiting the larger educational or local community. Consideration is only given to projects concerned with early childhood education, specifically for children up to sixth grade. Details can be found here. Applications are received on a biannual basis.

Gravely and Paige Grants for STEM Teachers

The Gravely and Paige Grants provide funding to elementary and middle schools in the United States to promote STEM innovation in the classrooms with an emphasis on academic programs. Grants of up to $2,000 are awarded. This is a joint effort between AFCEA chapters and the AFCEA Educational Foundation to help augment the cost to students for activities or tools inside or outside of the classroom, such as robotics clubs, cyber clubs and other STEM-related activities. Applications are accepted and awarded on a rolling basis.

Harbor Freight Donation

Harbor Freight Tools is proud to support students and teachers in K-12 public schools across the country. From donating a greenhouse for a middle school garden to providing tools for a high school engineering class, we are committed to supporting excellent teaching and learning in the communities where we live, work and serve. We are consistently impressed by the dedication of teachers, administrators and parents eager to improve their students’ education, and we are honored to help make their vision a reality. More information can be viewed here.

Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards

As part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids is recognizing and celebrating School Food Authorities (SFA) who have made operational changes to improve the nutritional quality of their school meals, as well as SFAs who engage students and families in nutrition education and in the planning and preparation of nutritious school meals. For example, one SFA might have introduced a “Build Your Plate” station where students can customize their meals with a variety of nutritious options, while another might have organized cooking classes for students and parents to learn how to prepare healthy meals at home. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis between June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2025.

Inventionland Grants for K-12 Schools

We are pleased to announce the expanded Innovation Education Grant program for the 2022/2023 School Year . The program is meant to financially support schools, districts and other local educational agencies who desire to leverage Inventionland Education’s award winning Innovation Labs®, professional development programs, and K-12 Innovation curriculum. It is our goal to offer all educators and students the same opportunities to experience the magical world of innovation, creativity, and STEAM-related learning. More information can be accessed here.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Grants

Apply for NCTM's Mathematics Education Trust grants, scholarships, and awards. Funding ranges from $1,500 to $24,000 and is available to help math teachers, prospective teachers, and other math educators improve the teaching and learning of mathematics. To view the current grant opportunities available, click here.

National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS)

On July 5, the NPSS officially launched. This new initiative is a public/private collaboration between AmeriCorps, USED, and a large coalition of education and service organizations that will together support the expansion, launch, and improvement of "people-powered supports" such as high-impact tutoring, mentoring, student success coaching, and others with a goal of recruiting 250,000 professionals into the recovery effort nationwide.

Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV)

Project SERV funds short-term education-related services for local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to help them recover from a violent or traumatic event in which the learning environment has been disrupted. Further details can be found here.

Project to Support America's Families and Educators

The Project SAFE grant program is intended to improve students’ safety and well-being by providing resources to local educational agencies (LEAs) that adopt and implement strategies to prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Project SAFE grant program provides grants to eligible LEAs to improve student safety and well-being by advancing strategies consistent with CDC guidance to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in schools. Applications are accepted until funding is depleted. More information can be found here.

Rural Tech Fund - Assistive Technology Grants

Rural Tech Fund provides funding for Assistive Technology equipment to increase accessibility for students with disabilities in public schools and libraries. These donations include equipment and software that promote student inclusion and participation. Projects funded include laptops or tablets to utilize speech-to-text, text-to-speech, word processing, magnification, audiobooks, and other accessibility features. They also include Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices, whether a dedicated communication device or tablet used for AAC purposes, adaptive equipment such as keyboards or mouses that make technology accessible, and other software or applications that increase education and technology access for individuals. Since AT varies widely, Rural Tech Fund looks for projects that specifically provide accessibility to a student or group of students and include technology access for inclusive purposes. Click here to view more information or here to view the application.

Rural Tech Fund - Rural Technology Education Grants

Rural Tech Fund's work manifests through funding of teacher and student-led projects in public schools and libraries. Projects funded are designed to help spark student interest in technology-based careers like computer science, computer engineering, information technology, programming, cyber security, robotics, or similar areas. In some cases, these project donations may include a few smaller items like a Raspberry Pi microcomputer or a robotics kit. In other situations, partnerships with school districts provide entire Maker Spaces equipped with things like circuit development kits, 3-D printers, robotics kits, and classroom sets of individual microcomputers to build upon. Click here to view more information or here to view the application.

Spark Good Local Grants

Spark Good Local Grants are awarded through an open application process to eligible organizations operating locally and directly benefiting the service area of the facility from when they are requesting funding. All organizations interested in applying for a Spark Good Local Grant must have a Spark Good account on Walmart.com/nonprofits and be verified by Walmart’s third-party verification partner, Deed. Only authorized users of the organization’s Spark Good account may apply. Grant amounts range from a minimum of $250 to a maximum of $5,000.

Grant applications are accepted and reviewed on a quarterly basis. Deadlines for submissions include:
- Quarter 1: March 1 - April 15
- Quarter 2: May 1 – July 15
- Quarter 3: Aug. 1 – Oct. 15
- Quarter 4: Nov. 1 – Dec. 31

Organizations may only have a combined total number of 25 submitted and/or approved applications at any given one time for the calendar year, regardless of quarterly submission. Final decisions on applications submitted within each quarter are made prior to the next quarter’s application opening. More information can be found here.

The Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation

The Kazanjian Foundation makes grants of $10,000 to $25,000 on average and expects to be one of several funders of a project. The Foundation will look most favorably at programs that match grants of support with funds from other organizations, learning institutions, universities, colleges, internal funds, and government sources.
Foundation’s current funding interest includes but not limited to:

Leveraging AI to increase student learning effectiveness and experience
Efficient and innovative solutions to reach and serve more people
Behavioral economics with a focus on environmental issues
Economic education initiatives to under-served communities in the local states
On-line competitions
Offering future college scholarship to high school students demonstrating financial, economic, and entrepreneurship achievements
Marketing capabilities to serve more population in economic education
Programs to generate more excitement for economic and financial education
Economic education programs in a recently mandated state

Letters of Interest may be submitted at any time throughout the year; however, the recommended deadline to submit your LOI to meet our grant cycles is March 10th or September 10th.