Our 2025 grant award cycle is open and we want you to apply!
The purpose of the Natick Education Foundation is to provide to the public schools of Natick the resources (in the form of grants) necessary to enhance the curriculum, programs, and services necessary beyond which is supported in the annual school budget.
Grant awards vary from $500-$5,000. Grant applicants can be teachers, students, department heads, or principals. Grant projects can be designed to serve a classroom, an educator’s professional passions, a department need, a building community, or a need across the entire district.
Timeline
GRANT APPLICATION WINDOW: JANUARY 6 - MARCH 3, 2025
GRANTS SELECTED: APRIL 14, 2025
FUNDS AVAILABLE: MAY, 2024
There are two types of grants that teachers can apply for:
Innovation in Teaching and Learning Grants: Successful grants seek to provide innovative, hands-on, experience-based opportunities for students. They are designed to enhance the existing NPS curriculum, classrooms, or school communities. Grants may seek to support meeting the diverse needs of students through differentiation or inclusive environments.
Examples of past Innovation in Teaching and Learning grants:
Pre-K / Elementary School Grants
Take a Break Space - Ben Hem
Brown School Gardens - Brown
Sensory Tools - Memorial
Sensory Path - Natick Pre-School
Middle School Level Grants
Creating Community and Fostering Learning with Legos-Kennedy
Social Emotional Learning Through Board Games - Wilson
High School Grants
Psychology Brains
Microbit Programmable Devices
Modernize Lego Class
Woodzilla Hand Lino Press
Teacher Professional Rejuvenation and Development Grants: Successful grants seek to support educators in their professional growth, pursuit, or passion. This can include teachers attending training, taking part in hands-on learning opportunities, participating in immersive experiences, or building cultural proficiency. Grant awardees should articulate how this professional learning or rejuvenation will support their professional work within NPS and have a plan to share their learning or experiences with their colleagues and/or students. Reasonable travel expenses will be considered. While in-service credits may be awarded for activities, NEF does not fund coursework solely for degree attainment or recertification.
Examples of funded Rejuvenation Grants:
High school art teacher attends summer programming to expand professional skills.
Wilson Middle School teacher attends a Trauma-Sensitive Schools training and brings learning back to their school
Math teacher acquires Breath for Change Yoga Certification for teachers