Connect With A Classroom Grants

Organization: Education Foundation of Collier County (Champions For Learning)

Geographic Scope: Collier County, Florida

Focus Areas: Creative and innovative classroom experiences for K-12 students

Funding Range: $20 - $2,000 per request

Program Description:
An online grant portal that enables Collier County teachers to post funding requests for innovative classroom projects, and allows community members to sponsor/fund specific teacher requests. The program began in 2003 and has been operating for nearly 25 years.

Key Features:

• Teachers submit project requests through the online portal
• Community members search and select projects to fund
• 100% of community contributions go directly to teacher grants (technology supported by Suncoast Credit Union Foundation)
• Teachers can share best practices with other educators
• Rolling application process throughout the school year
• Priority deadline for certain funding sources (e.g., License for Learning fund)

Eligibility:

• Certified teachers in Collier County public schools
• Projects must support creative and innovative student experiences

Funding Sources:

• Suncoast Credit Union Foundation (technology/capacity support)
• Community individual donors
• Lucie Jenny MacCarthy Music Fund (Community Foundation of Collier County)
• Florida License for Learning License Plate Fund
• Perna-Rose Foundation for Hope
• Corporate partners (CenturyLink, Scripps Howard Foundation)

How to Apply

For Teachers:

1. Visit the Champions For Learning website
2. Access the Connect With A Classroom grant portal
3. Create a new user profile (or log in if existing user)
4. Submit a classroom grant request with project details
5. Requests should clearly describe the creative/innovative learning experience
6. Specify funding amount needed (up to $2,000)
7. Explain how funds will benefit students

Application Workshops:

• New to the process? Attend a Connect With A Classroom grant application workshop
• Workshop includes instructions for new user profile creation and application process
• RSVP required (typically limited to 40 participants)
• Contact: Amy Snyder at ASnyder@ChampionsForLearning.org

For Community Donors:

1. Visit the Champions For Learning website
2. Browse active teacher grant requests in the portal
3. Select projects of interest to fund
4. Contribute desired amount
5. 100% of contribution goes to the selected teacher's project

Key Deadlines:

• Priority deadline for certain funding sources (e.g., License for Learning): typically mid-September
• Requests can continue to be posted for community consideration throughout the school year after priority deadline