Teachers of the Year Equitable Innovation Grant Program – California

The LA County Office of Education and the Greater LA Education Foundation believe in teachers. The Teachers of the Year Equitable Innovation Grant Program supports and spotlights the incredible efforts that teachers take on behalf of their students every day.

Donor Name: Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation

State: California

County: Los Angeles County (CA)

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 01/14/2022

Size of the Grant: $1,000

Grant Duration: 12 months

Details:

Grants will be awarded to teachers and educators that demonstrate the dedication, innovation, and creativity that are the hallmarks of the LA County Teachers of the Year Program. The grant program is in partnership with Teachers of the Year but is open to all educators in LA County’s public schools including counselors, club leaders, and more.

Equitable Innovation Grants will support projects, programs, and services that integrate student-centered learning techniques and tools to create dynamic learning environments for students and/or promote educator wellness. Projects can assume either full distance learning or a hybrid structure as school has transitioned back to in-person learning. Grants will prioritize equity, catalyzing projects designed for students and educators that have suffered the most severe consequences of the pandemic.

Grants are available to teachers, administrators, counselors, leaders of clubs, and other dedicated staff and can be leveraged for all ages and disciplines, including grades TK – 12. Projects can address needs in physical fitness, Visual and Performing Arts, language acquisition, social emotional wellness, and any other traditional subject matter.

Successful projects can address:

  • Instruction: Support the development and implementation of new pedagogy, instructional tool or software platform. Projects can utilize synchronous or asynchronous instruction.
  • Content: Implement a new core curricula or supplemental project, engage guest speakers, partner organizations or service providers, or professional development and training.
  • Lost Learning and Recovery: Address student learning loss as a result of school closures or absenteeism. This may include integrating digital learning tools and encouraging learning in specific disciplines, such as the arts and STEM.
  • Community Building and Student Socialization: Deepen connections between peers, teachers and students, teachers and families, or otherwise support community building.
  • Student Wellness: Support for mental health, social-emotional wellness, and physical health for students.
  • Educator Wellness: Support for mental health, social-emotional health, and physical wellbeing for school staff.
  • College Access: Support for college exploration and access across grade levels.
  • Career Exploration: Support for projects that build connections to local employers and industries.
  • Supporting a Safe Reopening: Support to help educators comply with health and safety guidelines.
  • Arts integration to support different learning styles, culturally responsive pedagogy, and student engagement.

Other categories of projects that are student-centered and leverage innovative strategies will also be considered. Projects will be used to promote best practices, innovations and replicable strategies for other educators in LA County and beyond.

Funding Information

  • Applicants can submit individually or as teams. Individual applicants can apply for up to $1,000. Teams can be up to three applicants, with each member eligible for $1,000 (e.g. teams of two can apply for up to $2,000 and teams of 3 can apply for up to $3,000). Applications do not need to meet the $1,000 maximum to be eligible for consideration.
  • Your project should be completed within 12 months of receiving the grant.

Eligibility Criteria

Any educator at a public school in Los Angeles County is eligible to apply. That includes all teachers from traditional districts and public charter schools. There are no restrictions on subject or grade. Counselors or other support staff, in addition to classroom teachers, are also eligible to apply.

For more information, visit Equitable Innovation Grant Program.