Grants, Loans & Scholarships

Financial help for professional development:

• 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

• 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.

• 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.

• Ambassadors in Education Award
  Nominate a school teacher who is an outstanding leader in the community for a chance to win one of 25 $5,000 grants awarded to schools across the country. Sponsored by MetLife Foundation and the National Civc League.

• 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.

• Target Field Trip Grants
  Target recognizes the importance of learning beyond the classroom walls.

• 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 inter-group 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:

• 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.

• DESE tuition reimbursement for special education programs

• 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.

• 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.

• ScholarshipHelp.org

• Apply Electronically for Federal Student Aid
  For a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), visit the U.S. Department of Education's Web Site at: www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/express.html

• 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.

• Student Loan Information

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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