Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program Grant

Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Lilly Endowment Inc
Amount: Up to US $15,000
Last Updated: March 01, 2025

Summary

The Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program by Lilly Endowment supports K-12 educators in Indiana by providing grants up to $15,000 for renewal projects. These projects aim to restore educators' enthusiasm and stimulate creativity, enhancing student educational experiences. The program encourages meaningful exploration and reflection rather than typical vacations. Approximately 125 grants will be awarded in 2025, with a focus on activities that are intellectually enriching and personally renewing.

Overview

Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program Lilly Endowmentis pleased to announce the 38th round of its Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program (TCFP). This program supports K-12 educators throughout Indiana by providing resources for them to take time for meaningful renewal. We believe that through new experiences, exploration and reflection, educators can generate renewed energy in their careers, innovative approaches to teaching and educational leadership, and thoughtful ways to encourage students’ creative thinking. TCFP renewal projects are not intended to be typical vacations, rather they are meant to be intentional experiences that restore educators’ enthusiasm for their profession and stimulate their creativity, which should in turn enhance the educational experiences of their students. Funding The Endowment expects to award approximately 125 teacher creativity grants, each totaling up to $15,000, in 2025. Fellowship grant periods will be for 18 months. Each proposal should include activities that are intellectually enriching and personally renewing and that provide opportunities for exploration and fulfillment that would otherwise not be possible. Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Eligibility

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Application Details

2025
Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program
A program for personal renewal of Indiana educators
G R A N T S F O R U P T O $ 1 5 , 0 0 0 E A C H
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 2025
Lilly Endowment is pleased to announce the 38th round of its Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program
(TCFP). This program supports K-12 educators throughout Indiana by providing resources for them to
take time for meaningful renewal. We believe that through new experiences, exploration and reflection
educators can generate renewed energy in their careers, innovative approaches to teaching and
educational leadership, and thoughtful ways to encourage students’ creative thinking. TCFP renewal
projects are not intended to be typical vacations, rather they are meant to be intentional experiences
that restore educators’ enthusiasm for their profession and stimulate their creativity, which should in turn
enhance the educational experiences of their students.
The Endowment expects to award approximately 125 teacher creativity grants, each totaling up to $15,000,
in 2025. Fellowship grant periods will be for 18 months. Each proposal should include activities that
are intellectually enriching and personally renewing and that provide opportunities for exploration and
fulfillment that would otherwise not be possible.
To be competitive, each project proposal should:
• Be clearly written and well organized.
• Illustrate how the applicant will experience meaningful renewal through the completion of activities
that include growth opportunities and are intellectually stimulating or personally challenging.
• Demonstrate sufficient planning and research to develop a realistic timeline and budget.
NOTE: Although there are no specific requirements as to the length of time dedicated to proposed
activities, we emphasize the importance of spending sufficient time in those activities to achieve meaningful
renewal. Proposals for projects that do not require several weeks’ time (or more) must explain clearly how
the plans will result in renewal despite the shorter time commitment.
Eligibility
Full-time education professionals in the following areas who have daily interaction with students in Indiana’s
traditional public schools, charter schools and private schools are eligible to apply:
• K-12 classroom teachers of any subject
• Principals and assistant principals
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• Librarians and media specialists
• School counselors and psychologists
• School social workers
• Instructional coaches
Additionally, each applicant must:
1. have held one or more of the above positions for at least three cumulative years (since at least fall
2021) in a school that is accredited by the Indiana Department of Education or that is accredited by a
third-party entity recognized by the Indiana Department of Education.
2. currently hold a valid Indiana Professional Educator License or at least a four-year bachelor’s degree
that is appropriate for responsibilities of their educational position.
If the applicant is unsure whether a school meets the above accreditation criteria, the applicant should
review the Indiana Department of Education website at in.gov/doe or contact Endowment staff at
teachercreativity@lei.org prior to proposal completion and submission.
In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements outlined above, each applicant must affirm the intention
to teach (or to hold another eligible position as a full-time education professional) in Indiana through school
year 2026-27.
Past TCFP recipients who continue to meet these requirements and who received a grant in 2017 or earlier
may also apply. Prior recipients who received awards after 2017 are not eligible for the 2025 program. An
individual may receive up to two (2) TCFP grants during their lifetime.
NOTE: Applicants who are principals or assistant principals must include a signed and dated affirmation
on letterhead from a member of their district leadership or governing board approving their participation in
the proposed TCFP project (this is in addition to the two (2) letters of recommendation discussed later in this
RFP). The position of “head of school” or school-level leader of another title is considered commensurate to
the position of principal for purposes of this program.
NOTE: Certain relatives of the Endowment’s officers, directors or founders are not eligible to receive TCFP
grants. Applicants must disclose relationships to any of these individuals in their applications.
Key Dates
September 9, 2024: Application Submission Deadline
All applications must be completed and submitted online by 5 p.m. (ET) on Monday, September 9, 2024.
January 24, 2025: Recipient Notification
The Endowment expects to send notification of decisions to all applicants by email on or before Friday,
January 24, 2025. Contingent upon the Endowment’s receipt of a signed Fellowship Agreement, payments
to recipients are tentatively scheduled to be made in late February 2025. The Endowment will award up
to $15,000 directly to each recipient and will issue an IRS income reporting Form 1099 Misc. or other
appropriate IRS report, typically at the beginning of 2026.
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July 31, 2026: Project Completion
Applicants must propose a timeline that permits them to complete their renewal activities by Friday, July 31,
2026.
August 31, 2026: Reporting
Fellowship Agreements and reporting requirements (narrative and financial) will be sent to all grant
recipients following the announcement of grant awards. Final reports from grant recipients, including
financial information, are due by Monday, August 31, 2026.
How to Apply
All required documents (listed below) must be combined into a single PDF and submitted online upon
completing the Application Cover Form. Applicants can access the Application Cover Form on the TCFP
page of the Endowment’s website. Please note that the form does not allow for applicants to save their
information and return at a later time, so the Endowment recommends previewing the form before
submitting the application.
Application steps:
1. Prepare information for the online Application Cover Form.
2. Prepare proposal narrative, timeline and budget documents according to the instructions on the
following pages.
3. Obtain two (2) personal letters of recommendation.
4. Obtain a copy of your current Indiana Professional Educator License or documentation of successful
completion of at least a four-year bachelor’s degree that is appropriate for the responsibilities of the
educational position that you currently hold (i.e., degree conferred transcripts or diploma).
5. Applicants who are principals or assistant principals must also include the affirmation of district
leadership or governing board approval for their projects in their PDFs.
6. Create a single PDF of all required proposal documents.
7. Complete your online Application Cover Form and upload your PDF.
TIP: Applicants are encouraged to have a colleague review their completed application before submission.
Application Instructions
1. Proposal
TIP: Successful proposals convey enthusiasm, imagination and evidence of personal stretch. They show
evidence that applicants have devoted considerable thought to the types of renewal experiences they are
seeking within the context of the project’s rationale and goals.
Organize your proposal using the headings in the order listed below. Please note that 12 pt. font and one-
inch margins are required. Proposals may be single- or double-spaced but must not exceed five (5) pages,
including budget and timeline (excluding letters of recommendation or affirmation).
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Name: What is your legal name as reported to the IRS?
Project Title and 50-Word Summary: In brief, what is your project about? (This description should match
the one provided on your Cover Form.)
Project Goals and Activities: What are your project goals? What specific activities will you engage in to
accomplish your goals? These activities should be well-planned and based on current research about
relevant opportunities, requirements and costs, and information and commitments, if necessary, offered
from contacts with relevant individuals and organizations. If your project involves travel, included activities
should be aligned with stated project goals and should be of a creative or intellectual nature that set the
travel apart from what might be viewed as a typical vacation.
Need and Vision for Renewal: Describe your role as an educator. Why is renewal needed and important
to you, personally and professionally? Why is now an opportune time for your proposed renewal project?
How do you envision renewed energy, enthusiasm and creativity will result from your project? How will this
renewal affect your career as an educator and your students? How will it be intellectually stimulating and
broaden your horizons? How will you make time for reflection and nurture growth before, during and after
your renewal project? Will companions (family members, other educators, etc.) join you in the completion
of your renewal project and, if so, how will their participation enable or enhance the renewal you seek to
achieve?
Timeline: Provide a detailed timeline of your schedule of renewal activities, any projected follow-up
activities and, if applicable, any school-based activities. The timeline should reflect a series of activities
during a substantial period of time that are clearly focused and tightly connected to the project’s goals.
If your project includes travel, it is important that sufficient time is spent at the proposed destination(s) to
accomplish your goals. Although there is no required format for proposal timelines, sample formats are
provided on the TCFP page of the Endowment’s website.
Budget: What costs will you have? Each grant will be made for up to $15,000. Your detailed, itemized
budget should include expenses, such as transportation, lodging, fees, supplies, etc. Although there
is no required format for proposal budgets, sample formats are provided on the TCFP page of the
Endowment’s website.
• A reasonable living stipend (compensation for your time or to account for lost income while
conducting the proposed project, not to exceed 20 percent of your total project budget) is an
allowable expense.
• It is allowable to budget for other costs that are necessary to enable completion of your renewal
project, such as the cost for dependents to join you for travel associated with your project or
care expenses for dependents or pets while engaged in project activities. If a budget includes
expenses for companions to engage in elements of your renewal project with you, this should
be clearly noted in your budget and addressed in the “Need and Vision for Renewal” section
as described above. Although it is allowable to include companions, renewal projects are not
intended to be typical family vacations and the strongest proposals and budgets will focus on
the renewal of the applicant.
• In most cases, this grant will be subject to federal income tax, therefore, applicants are
encouraged to include a line item to cover tax liability as needed.
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2. Letters of recommendation
The Endowment requires two (2) letters of recommendation from individuals who can address your ability
to complete the proposed project. Such individuals can be colleagues or supervisors familiar with your
proposed project and your personal capacity to achieve your project goals, or experts relevant to the area
that you are exploring through your proposed project (e.g., glass blowing, biking, climate change).
It is your responsibility to ensure that the letters you submit meet all of the following requirements:
• Letters must be on letterhead (when applicable), dated within the three months prior to the
application deadline, and include the author’s (1) title or position, (2) contact information and (3)
typed or digital signature. Letters from individuals who are not affiliated with a school or organization
that provides letterhead should include their personal contact information in the absence of
letterhead. In these cases, a standard personal or business letter format is recommended.
• At least one of the two letters must be written by a colleague within the applicant’s current school or
district.
• Applicants should not submit more than two (2) recommendation letters (affirmation letters for
applicants who are principals or assistant principals are separate). Extra letters will not be reviewed.
Applicants who do not provide letters of recommendation that meet the requirements above may be
penalized or disqualified.
TIP: Letters are given serious consideration and are viewed most favorably when they reflect firsthand
knowledge of the applicant and the proposed project.
3. Indiana license or documentation of at least a four-year bachelor’s degree
You must submit a valid Indiana Professional Educator License or documentation of degree earned as
described above (transcript or diploma).
Application Checklist
The following items must be combined into a single PDF and submitted upon completing the online
Application Cover Form located on the TCFP page of the Endowment’s website.
☐ Proposal: Five (5)-page limit, including timeline and budget (excluding letters of recommendation or
affirmation), 12 pt. font, one-inch margins, single- or double-spaced.
☐ Two (2) letters of recommendation.
☐ Indiana Professional Educator License or documentation of degree earned (transcript or diploma).
☐ Applicants who are principals or assistant principals: Signed and dated affirmation on letterhead
from a member of district leadership or governing board approving participation in the proposed
TCFP project.
The deadline for submitting applications is 5 p.m. (ET) on Monday, September 9, 2024.
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Interested in learning more about TCFP?
Endowment staff will host four virtual informational sessions in 2024 (May 16, May 30, August 8 and August
13) to review the RFP and answer questions from interested educators. Learn more and register for one of
the sessions on the TCFP page of the Endowment’s website.
Interested in responses to frequently asked questions?
Review responses to frequently asked questions on the TCFP page of the Endowment’s website. This
document will be updated to include additional questions and responses following the information
sessions.
Want to learn about last year’s TCFP projects?
Review a news release about recent fellowship recipients and their projects here.
Still have questions about TCFP?
Email questions to teachercreativity@lei.org.
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