How to Find Elementary Classroom Grants

There are many small grants from $100 to $500 available for individual classroom teachers that can significantly improve the delivery of the instruction that you can provide. Here are three ways to go about finding them: locating lists of requests for proposals, posting a small project online for individual donors to contribute and searching for a corporate foundation whose giving priorities match your program's objectives. Knowing where to look for these grants is just one piece of a larger process that involves an in-depth analysis of your classroom's needs and opportunities, careful strategic planning and creation of a competitive proposal that will resonate with the funder.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Watch the postings of funders' requests for proposals (RFPs) online. You can use Grant Wrangler or Grants Alert to find lists of grants and their deadlines that are targeting individual classroom teachers (see Resources below). Usually RFPs include links to the funder's website and any information you need to write the proposal. Sometimes this involves an online eligibility quiz. Other funders require a specific form that they provide on their websites. The way funders prefer for applicants to submit their proposals varies a lot. Some ask for electronic submissions in email attachments. Others ask you to fill out an online form. Still others request that you submit a specific number of copies by regular mail. Unless you follow the funder's guidelines to the letter, your application will be rejected.

2. Register your classroom with one of the new online programs that link individual classroom teachers with people who like their projects and give money toward the total amount needed. Three such programs are Donors Choose, Digital Wish and Adopt a Classroom (see Resources for links).

3. Search the databases of foundations and corporate foundations using keywords. You can usually access these electronic databases at public libraries. The Foundation Center Online is the most popular database. Unless you have a subscription to it, though, you must go through your library if you want to find grant funders. Use keywords like "education," "elementary education," "youth" and "secondary education." Then make preliminary phone calls or send a short email to the contact person listed on the funder's database to ask if your project would be considered favorably for a grant and if there are any specific instructions about how to apply.

Tips & Warnings

• Teachers can find out more about how to get these smaller classroom grants through the seminars taught online at Grant Mapper.com.

Resources

• Grant Wrangler: Grants for teachers
• Grants Alert: Grants for teachers
• Donors Choose: Post a project you want funded
• Digital Wish: Post a project you want funded
• Adopt a Classroom: Post a project you want funded