Western Oklahoma pre-K-12th grade teachers seeking customized professional development opportunities are encouraged to attend an upcoming information session in Clinton about Fund for Teachers grants.
In partnership with the national nonprofit Fund for Teachers, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and the Tulsa Community Foundation will offer the grant proposal writing and information session at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Clinton Schools Administration Building, 1720 Opal Ave. in Clinton. Educators are asked to register for the session online.
Teachers attending the sessions will learn about eligibility requirements, the application process, tips and advice for developing a fellowship proposal and grant writing assistance. The Fund for Teachers grant program awards fellowships of up to $5,000 for individual teachers and up to $10,000 for teams of teachers for self-designed professional development experiences to take place anywhere in the world during the summer months. The grant cycle application process is now open online at www.fundforteachers.org and will close Jan. 30, 2020.
Fund for Teachers supports teachers in their desire to improve their craft and gain understanding by offering professional development unique to the needs of their students and teaching philosophy. Since 2006, the Fund for Teachers program in Oklahoma has provided more than $3.1 million in grant funds to 878 Oklahoma teachers. Oklahoma’s 2019 Fund for Teachers program was funded in part with support from a tribal alliance including the Chickasaw Nation, Cherokee Nation, Citizen Potawatomie Nation, the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Native America teachers from all Oklahoma tribal areas are also encouraged to apply for the 2020 grant cycle.
Fund for Teachers fellowships are open to Oklahoma pre-K through 12th-grade teachers in public, private, parochial and charter schools. Applicants must have at least three years of teaching experience, be full-time employees and spend 50 percent or more of their time in a classroom setting. In addition, applicants must have the intention of returning to their school and/or district following their summer professional development. School administrators are not eligible for the grants.
For more information about Fund for Teachers, or to apply for a grant, please visit www.fundforteachers.org, contact Sara Wilson at swilson@ofe.org or call 405-236-0006, ext.
12.