Grants, Loans & Scholarships

Financial help for professional development:

• Microsoft Innovative Teachers Forum
  The U.S. Innovative Teachers Forum will recognize and reward learning teams practicing the elements of 21st century learning in their own professional learning and then incorporating these skills into the student learning environment.

• The Tom Joyner Foundation and the National Education Association are offering financial assistance and professional development assistance to help teachers who are working under provisional certification and teacher candidates become fully certified. Assistance is offered for tuition, books, support for preparing to take a state teacher licensure examination. Read more about the program.

• Student loan information

• National Board Certification Loan

• Horace Mann Scholarship Program
  The Horace Mann Scholarship Program offers funds to help public and private school educators attend college. The offers 36 scholarships totaling $30,000.

• Security Benefit Group is the parent company of NEA Valuebuilder, one of NEA’s Member Benefits products. The Security Benefit Group Charitable Trust Program was established in 2002 to help members of the education community reach their personal and professional goals through ongoing education. Call (888) 428-9724 for more information.

• Teacher Tuition Assistance Programs and Scholarships

• Tuition Grant for probationary teachers
  Thanks to funding from Reliant Financial Services, MNEA members who are probationary teachers in their first five years of teaching can receive a $100 tuition grant toward the cost of a three-hour graduate course.

• Toyota International Teacher Program provides the opportunity to learn about local culture, history and environment through hands-on projects. Applications are available on the Institute of International Education Web site, www.iie.org/toyota.

Grants for the classrooms

• Literacy grants from MNEA, Staples
  Missouri NEA and Staples are once again partnering to offer grants of up to $300 for literacy projects in Missouri public schools.

• 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 funds 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 students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical
  reflection. Maximum Award: $5,000.

• HP Technology For Teaching Grants
  This grant initiative aims to bolster the innovative and effective integration of technology in K-12 and higher education settings. Awards will be made to those using a collaborative, team-based approach to implementing technology integration projects. The focus of the project must be on using technology to teach, rather than teaching students to use technology. Preference will be given to teacher teams in low-income schools and to projects that include integration of mathematics and/or science curriculum. Schools that have been HP Wireless Mobile Classroom grant recipients in the past 3 years are ineligible. HP requests potential applicants to register online at http://grants.hp.com/us/programs/tech_teaching/k12_main.html.

• 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. Grants of up to $5,000 are available by applying online.

• 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.

• Mark Twain Creative Teaching Award Competition
  Each year the Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal, MO will award a Grand Prize of $500 to the best example of teaching Mark Twain. The prize will also include the recipient’s name engraved on a plaque at the Museum, a class set of Twain books, etc. There will also be three 1st Prize awards of $100 each for the best Elementary, Middle, and High School examples. Additionally, there will be a category for honorable mention.

• Teaching Tolerance Grant
  Teaching Tolerance offers grants of $500 to $2500 to K-12 classroom teachers and educational support professionals for projects designed to reduce prejudice among youth, improve intergroup relations in schools, increase tolerance and encourage youth activism.

• 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:

• Seniors helping Seniors (up to $12,500 teams scholarship) - PNY Technologies is challenging high school seniors to create and execute an idea that improves the lives of senior citizens in their community utilizing PNY electronic products (Flash Media, Graphics Cards, RAM Memory). Details about the Seniors Helping Seniors competition is outlined on the PNY Web site, www.pny.com/educate.

• Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship - This scholarship covers one hundred percent of the total cost of eligible students’ tuition and fees up to four years, at a four-year college or university located in Missouri.

• Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education sponsored scholarships

• 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 be entering their freshman, sophomore or junior year at a Missouri college or university.

• Horace Mann Scholarship Program offers $50,000 in student scholarships. High school seniors who are children or legal dependents of public or private school employees are eligible to apply. The scholarships include: one $10,000 award payable over four years; five $4,000 awards payable over four years; and 20 one-time $1,000 awards. Apply online at www.horacemann.com.

• 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".

• CollegeXpress.com
  Search for colleges, scholarships, government loans and private loans. Find out what you are eligible for by searching the extensive database of over 320,000 scholarships. Making a plan for college is made easier by logging into this Web site.

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
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