Mattoon Foundation for Academic Excellence Community Engagement Grants - Fall Education Cycle

The Mattoon Foundation for Academic Excellence offers Community Engagement Grants aimed at fostering collaboration between classrooms and the local community. These grants support projects that engage students and families, promoting hands-on learning and shared responsibility for educational success. Eligible applicants include teachers and staff from Mattoon Community Unit School District 2, who must demonstrate support from school administrators and community partners. This initiative enhances civic well-being and empowers students to appreciate their community's culture and history.

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Fall Education Cycle: Mattoon Foundation for Academic Excellence Community Engagement Grant
The Mattoon Foundation for Academic Excellence is a charitable fund committed to promoting community involvement and family engagement in education projects and programming for the Mattoon Community Unit District No. 2.
What does community engagement mean in education?
Community engagement is a two-way street where the school, families, and the community actively work together, creating networks of shared responsibility for student success. It is a tool that promotes civic well-being and strengthens the capacity of schools, families, and communities to support young people’s full development.
Additionally, when students can utilize the community as their classroom, the bond between school and community is strengthened, and students gain pride and a more significant appreciation of the cultures and histories of their community. In the long term, students see how they can make a difference in their community through their learning experiences.
Examples of community engagement include local community-based organizations and businesses working as partners with the school; community residents actively participating in the education of young people; advocates and community associations bringing resources to schools; and the school actively reaching out to be a resource to the community.

Eligibility

The Mattoon Foundation for Academic Excellence Community Engagement Grants will fund projects that connect classrooms and students to the local community and include the following:Projects must consist of some level of community engagement.The project must address a curricular outcome.The project should be student-driven.Who can apply?Teachers and staff in Mattoon Community Unit School District 2 are encouraged to apply.All applicants must show support from their school administrator and any community partners that will be a part of the project. Administrator and Community Partner references will be a required part of the application.