Cato Excellence in Teaching Awards Grant

The Cato Excellence in Teaching Awards celebrate innovative Pre-K to 12th grade teachers in the Arts, Sciences, or History from various counties in North and South Carolina. Six awards of $1,500 each will be granted to educators who demonstrate exceptional teaching practices and community leadership. Nominations are open to those who have not received this award in the past three years, showcasing ASC's commitment to cultural equity and educational excellence.

Cultural Equity Statement
To truly achieve ASC’s vision of “Culture for All,” all Charlotte-Mecklenburg residents must have equitable opportunity to participate in the cultural life of our region as audiences, volunteers, artists, administrators, board members and donors.
ASC Cultural equity statement background & process
ASC’s Community Investment Committee, composed of (7) ASC Board members and (5) non-members who are broadly representative of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community, drafted the initial Cultural Equity Statement for ASC in FY19 with the goals of crafting a working definition of cultural equity to guide the future work of ASC, creating a framework to set organizational policies and practices and providing external visibility for the organization’s commitment to cultural equity.
ASC is seeking nominations of exceptionally creative classroom teachers who have distinguished themselves in teaching the Arts, Sciences or History or who have demonstrated creative infusion of the Arts, Sciences or History into the core curriculum for Cato Excellence in Teaching Awards.
Six $1,500 awards will be presented through the support of ASC’s Cato Excellence in Teaching Endowment.

Eligibility

Eligible teachers must be a Pre-K through 12th grade teacher working for a public or independent school in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln or Union counties in North Carolina or Lancaster or York counties in South Carolina.Nominees should exhibit a teaching practice marked by innovation and excellence focused on the arts, sciences or history or creative infusion of the arts, sciences or history into the core curriculum; school and community leadership; and dedication to the field of education.Educators who have received a Cato Excellence in Teaching Award in the last (3) years (2022, 2023, 2024) are not eligible to be nominated in 2025.