McElhattan Foundation: Expanding Educator Diversity Grant

McElhattan Foundation: Expanding Educator Diversity Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: McElhattan Foundation
Last Updated: March 06, 2026

Summary

The McElhattan Foundation focuses on expanding educator diversity to improve educational outcomes for students of color in Allegheny County. Despite students of color comprising 37.6% of the local student population, only 4.6% of teachers are of color. The foundation seeks proposals that enhance access to teacher preparation programs, promote recruitment and retention of teachers of color, and build collaborative partnerships, with a goal to ensure all students benefit from diverse educators.

Overview

NOTE: McElhattan Foundation accepts proposals on a rolling basis. If eligible, complete our Request for Information (RFI) Questionnaire (See Letter of Inquiry Deadline above). Foundation staff will review the RFI and contact you. If the request aligns with our priorities, Foundation staff will invite you to submit a proposal. (See Full Proposal Deadline above). McElhattan Foundation The Industrial Scientific Foundation was established in 1994 and for many years served as the charitable arm of Industrial Scientific Corporation, which was founded by K.E. McElhattan and his son, Kent McElhattan. It supported nonprofits at the local and national level. When Industrial Scientific was sold in 2017, the Foundation began operating as the McElhattan Foundation. Mission & Vision Bring us bold ideas that advance the goals of our five program areas: End Death on the Job Out-of-School-Time LearningEconomic Development in Knox & Franklin, PAExpanding Educator DiversityEnd-of-Life Planning & Care Expanding Educator Diversity Excellent teachers are key to unlocking powerful learning experiences. Research shows that all students thrive when their educators are racially and ethnically diverse. This is especially true for students of color. The presence of teachers of color contributes to positive academic and non-academic outcomes (reduced absenteeism, increased admission to gifted programs, reduced dropout rates, and increased likelihood to enroll in four-year college) for students of color. However, while students of color account for 37.6% of learners in Allegheny County, as of the 2022-23 school year, teachers of color represented just 4.6% of the 10,700 teachers in the county’s public schools. This disparity contributes to the racial achievement gap and hinders the learning outcomes of our region's children. It also plays a part in disincentivizing youth of color from pursuing careers in teaching. At the same time, college debt, stagnant wages and stressful working conditions drive qualified teachers away in droves. Recognizing these systemic challenges, our vision is that all Allegheny County students of color are taught by high-quality teachers of color throughout their PreK-12 schooling. What We Fund Efforts that increase access to and completion of high-quality teacher preparation programs for educators of color; Highly collaborative partnerships that increase access to models such as teacher residencies, grow your own programs, and those that leverage dual enrollment, apprenticeships, and career and technical training; Initiatives that promote recruitment of/and retention for educators of color; and  Systems-level efforts, including network building, research, and efforts to advance public policy. Funding In general, we are most receptive to large requests ($50K+) from organizations we have worked with before. If you are entirely new to us, we'd suggest a smaller initial request; if that grant goes well, you'll be in a much stronger position to make a larger request during a future grant cycle.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Grantees are eligible to receive funding from McElhattan Foundation once every 12 months.

Ineligibility

We Are Unlikely To FundInitiatives operating outside of and/or without a direct benefit to Allegheny County.Initiatives benefiting a single school/district.The McElhattan Foundation does not fund:Individuals or families seeking private financial assistance Scholarships Organizations without 501(c)(3) status, according to the Internal Revenue Service which includes organizations operating primarily outside the U.S. and for-profit entities Lobbying Political campaigns Conferences Repairing, replacing, or installing safety equipmentCPR classes, etc., Equipment purchases, unless they are tied to a larger project that fits within our grantmaking strategy Medical bills Economic and community development projects that do NOT benefit Franklin and/or Knox, PA. Proposals claiming to fit into one of our program areas that bear virtually no real connection to them