Grants, Loans & Scholarships

Financial help for professional development:

 Grants for the classrooms:

• California Casualty Thomas R. Brown High School Athletics Grant - Apply for a grant to help fund your high school athletics program, sponsored by California Casualty. Grants of $1,000 or more are awarded each year.
• California Casualty/A+ Auto & Home Insurance - Classroom Donation Program - You could win $200 to use in your classroom with the California Casualty/A+ Auto & Home "Help Your Classroom Donation Program." Have you checked this member benefit, lately? Endorsed by MNEA since 1996, California Casualty/A+ Auto & Home Insurance offers discounted rates and unique coverage and services such as zero deductible for vandalism to your vehicle if it occurs on or within 500 feet of school premises and Identity Theft Resolution Service, free for policyholders! For a personal, no-obligation auto or home insurance quotation, please call 1- 877-411-3419 or go online for a rate quote and get entered in the drawing for a classroom grant.
• CONNECTIONS grants from MNEA, California Casualty - Ten grants up to $300 each will be awarded from MNEA’s Charitable Fund. CONNECTIONS Grants are made possible by California Casualty Auto and Home Insurance, a Missouri NEA member benefit partner.
• Fender Music Foundation Grants for music instruction programs accepts applications year-round.
• NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education - Hundreds of grants of up to $5,000 are awarded each year to fund your big ideas related to classroom innovations, the fine arts or professional development. Applications are accepted on a year-round ongoing basis.
• NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants - The NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants provide $5,000 to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve student's habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Application deadlines are Feb. 1, June 1, and Oct. 15.
• Target Field Trip Grants - Each Target store will award three Target Field Trip Grants to K-12 schools nationwide. Each grant is valued up to $700. Grant window opens Aug. 1. Notification is by Jan. 1.
• Target Art and Culture Grants - Art and Culture in Schools Grants are $2,000. Grant applications are typically accepted between March 1 and April 30 each year, with grant notifications delivered in September.
• Target Early Childhood Reading Grants - Grant applications are typically accepted between March 1 and April 30 each year, with grant notification delivered in September. The grants are $2,000.
• Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grant Program supports schools and parent-teacher groups that develop projects which encourage parent involvement and build stronger community spirit. There is a preference for funding requests that have a permanent impact such as facility enhancement (both indoor and outdoor) as well as landscaping/cleanup type projects. Grants of up to $5,000 ar available. Fall grant cycle is open mid-July to mid-October, spring grant cycle ends mid-February. Both grants cycles close once 1,500 applications are received.
• NASA Explorer Schools Program Offers Grades 4–9 Learning Adventure - Become a NASA Explorer School, and your school or school district enters into a unique three–year partnership with NASA to bring exciting opportunities to your educators, students and their families. NASA Explorer Schools receive grants of up to $10,000.
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics - The Mathematics Education Trust (MET) supports the improvement of mathematics teaching and learning through the funding of grants, awards, and other projects by channeling the generosity of contributors into classroom-based efforts that benefit all students.
• American Association of University Women  - The AAUW offers Eleanor Roosevelt Teacher fellowships to women K-12 public school teachers. The fellowships are designed to provide professional development opportunities and improve girls' learning opportunities, especially in math, science, and technology.
• NEA. org - Links to grants and awards available on the Web.
• Hope Fund - Through its Humanitarian Outreach Project for Education Fund (HOPE), Missouri NEA assists students and schools in financial need.

For high school seniors & college students:

• Future Educators Association Scholarship - This scholarship was established to encourage and support high school students wishing to become teachers.
• Phi Delta Kappa Scholarship - annually, Phi Delta Kappa International, through its Educational Foundation, awards scholarships to prospective educators.
• ScholarshipHelp.org
• The Cochran Scholarship is a $500 scholarship offered to students pursuing a career in education. Applicants must currently be in their freshman, sophomore or junior year at a Missouri college or university.
• Jack Kinnaman Scholarship - The Jack Kinnaman Scholarship was created in the memory of Jack Kinnaman, Vice President and former Advisory Council member of the NEA-Retired. In addition, Jack represented the NEA-Retired on the Fund for Children and Public Education and in numerous local, state and national Association positions, Active and Retired. He is most fondly remembered as NEA's "Cat in the Hat".
• Careersandcolleges.com - Search for colleges, scholarships, government loans and private loans. Find out what you are eligible for by searching the extensive database of more than $7 billion in scholarships. Making a plan for college is made easier by logging into this Web site.
• Apply Electronically for Federal Student Aid - For a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), visit the U.S. Department of Education's website
• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) - http://www.free.ed.gov/index.cfm
• Colleges, College Scholarships, and Financial Aid Page - Visit the Colleges, College Scholarships, and Financial Aid Page for e-mail addresses and telephone numbers of Missouri college and university admissions and financial aid offices. This site contains links to college and university home pages and online admissions applications. In addition, there are links to pages with similar information about colleges in other states, free scholarship searches, financial aid forms, campus life, career information, and more.
• StudentAid.edu.gov - Start Here, go further, federal student aid programs and resources for getting money for college tuition and repaying student loans.
• The National Geographic Student Expeditions Scholarship Program provides financial support for students seeking educational summer experiences who otherwise could not afford them.

 Miscellaneous Grants:

• Public Relations Grants  - Local associations across the state have the opportunity to implement their ideas for spreading good news about public education with a little financial boost ($200) from Missouri NEA.
• MNEA Organizing Grant - The Missouri NEA Organizing grant is available to MNEA local leaders who need a little extra cash for Local Association organizing efforts.
• The School Funding Center - Sign up for a newsletter filled with grant sources, tips on grant writing, best sources for programs & materials, top Web sites and —best of all—it's absolutely free.