KLA-Tencor Foundation: Education Opportunity Fund Grant

The KLA-Tencor Foundation's Education Opportunity Fund aims to enhance educational access, promote emotional well-being, and improve educational systems, particularly for under-resourced K-12 students. Grants between $50,000 and $250,000 are available for innovative projects that eliminate barriers to education and foster sustainable partnerships. Applicants must be nonprofit organizations with a significant impact in communities served by KLA, focusing on systemic change rather than direct student assistance.

Focus Areas
The Education Opportunity Fund provides catalytic support for sustainable impact in the following areas:

• Enhancing Educational Access

Expanding access to education with a focus on STEM by funding technology and programs that help remove barriers for students in grades K-12 in the United States and international equivalent.
Promoting Emotional Wellbeing
Advancing the development of long-term social-emotional and mental health resources for students and schools that are under-resourced.
Improving Educational Systems
Addressing policy changes, updating curricula, and supporting an expansive talent pipeline within the education sector.
Applicants may include funding for administrative costs (“overhead”) associated with programs or projects to the extent that the costs are necessary to successfully implement the proposed project or services.
Education Opportunity Fund grants will be issued in the range of $50,000 – $250,000 per year for 1, 2, or 3 years.
The KLA Foundation will prioritize funding requests that:
Have an explicit strategy to eliminate policies and practices that prevent access to education.Propose projects designed to improve education systems rather than fixing students and must demonstrate an asset-based approach to understanding and partnering with students and families.Are able to monitor, assess, and document the impact of the change(s) being sought, strategies being used, and the progress being made.Create or build upon existing partnerships or coalitions.Are innovative, strategic, and future-focused to inspire and support creative problem solving.Show potential for sustainable, long-term benefits that persist after the grant period ends.Demonstrate strong potential for replication by additional organizations or institutions.Have a clear and direct connection to improving education outcomes and experiences. While critical and important, this Fund does not provide support for basic needs or projects that primarily target broader social change and advocacy outside of education systems.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for an Education Equity Fund grant, applicant organizations must:Have a direct and significant impact within communities KLA operates.
Be a nonprofit organization with a 501(c)(3) public charity designation by the IRS or an international equivalent NGO (or be fiscally sponsored by one) and have an active profile on the Benevity platform.Prioritize addressing the challenges faced by under-resourced students such as first-generation and limited income students in K-12 education within the United States, as well as at primary and secondary institutions internationally.Demonstrate existing relationships with K-12 schools in the United States and at primary and secondary schools outside the US.Operate in communities where KLA operates

Ineligibility

While critical and important, this Fund does not provide support for basic needs or projects that primarily target broader social change and advocacy outside of education systems.The Education Equity Fund will not support for requests for:Initiatives that do not directly or significantly have an impact within communities KLA operates
Individuals
Special event sponsorship or any other type of fundraising initiative
Student scholarships, student tuition, or student fees
One-time professional development events. Any professional development projects that are funded must include recurring, sustained training that is clearly tied to practical application and changes in educator and/or administrator practice.Organizations that would re-grant funding received from the KLA Foundation, unless to a partner organization that will support the Education Equity Fund-funded services as described in the project budget or unless with express permission from the KLA Foundation.