Following are application deadlines for grants and fellowships available to individuals and schools. Asterisks (*) denote new entries.
Open COMPUTERS
CyberLearning Universe, a project of the nonprofit National Education Foundation, is offering 5,000 teachers free tuition for more than 1,000 of its Internet-based online personal and professional computing courses, including PC Basics, Internet Basics, Web Design Basics, Microsoft Office, Windows 2000, and Web Master. Although tuition is covered, a $55 registration fee is required. To sign up, visit CyberLearning’s Web site. Contact: National Education Foundation, CyberLearning, 1428 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22134; (703) 821-2100; fax (703) 821-2161; e-mail courses@cyberlearning.org; www.cyberlearning.org.
*Open MATH AND SCIENCE
The Toshiba America Foundation awards grants for programs that improve classroom teaching and learning of math and science for K-12 students. U.S. public and private schools, as well as museums and nonprofits that work with schools, may apply. Projects should provide direct benefits to students and include teacher-led, classroom-based experiences. For grades 7-12, grants of up to $5,000 are offered monthly throughout the year; larger awards are given in March and September. K-6 grant applications are due by October 1. Contact: Toshiba America Foundation, Program Office, 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10020; (212) 588-0820; fax (212) 588-0824; e-mail foundation@tai.toshiba.com; www.toshiba.com/html/taf.html.</ p>
*Open MATH AND SCIENCE
MathSoft Engineering and Education Inc., an education software developer, offers Digital Age Math and Science Teaching Grants for educators and schools that would like to use its StudyWorks software and materials. Applicants submit proposals detailing how they would use StudyWorks in their 7th through 12th grade classrooms. Schools sponsoring winning teachers receive a lab grant for 25 seats of StudyWorks Mathematics or Science Deluxe and a stipend toward the cost of attending math, science, or technology conferences. The number of winners varies each year. For more information, contact: MathSoft Engineering & Education Inc., StudyWorks Grant Program, 101 Main St., Cambridge, MA 02142; fax (617) 577-8829; e-mail studyworks@mathsoft.com; www.studyworksonline.com.
*Open TOLERANCE
Grants of up to $2,000 are available to K-12 teachers from the Teaching Tolerance project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit group that fights discrimination. The grants are awarded for activities promoting diversity, peacemaking, community service, or other aspects of tolerance education. Requests should include a typed, 500-word description of the activity and the proposed budget. For more information, contact: Annie Bolling, Teaching Tolerance Grants, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104; (334) 956-8381; www.teachingtolerance.org.
April-May OPERA
The Metropolitan Opera Guild seeks applicants for Creating Original Opera, a weeklong summer training program that provides elementary and middle school teachers with information, tools, and experience to form a student production company. Participants are eligible for graduate and professional-development credit. Twenty-five schools are selected based on an application completed by the principal and two teachers. Selected schools, which are represented in the program by one music and one classroom teacher, receive a grant sponsored by the GE Fund, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the Vivendi Universal Fund to cover training, housing, supplies, tuition, a curriculum notebook, and an honorarium for each teacher. Participating schools pay for transportation and a $225 fee. The program is held at Princeton University, the Cincinnati Conservatory, and Arizona State University. Deadlines vary by region.
For more information, contact: Shellie Bransford, Program Director, Metropolitan Opera Guild, Education at the Met, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023; (212) 769- 7023 or (212) 769-7026; e-mail coo@opera.org; www.operaed.org.
April 15 HUMANITIES
The National Endowment for the Humanities invites groups of teachers to apply for Humanities Focus Grants. Recipients spend 12 to 18 months considering humanities topics or mapping instructional directions for teaching the humanities. Proposals must identify a coherent sequence of topics to be explored and provide a detailed list of texts and materials to be considered. Projects must show a commitment from participating groups and individuals. The grants range from $10,000 to $25,000. Applications are subject to three general criteria for evaluation: intellectual quality, design quality, and potential for significant impact. For more information and application materials, contact: Division of Education Programs, NEH, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Room 302, Washington, DC 20506; (202) 606-8380; e-mail education@neh.gov; www.neh.gov/grants/grants.html.
April 15 RURAL TEACHERS
The National Rural Education Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association announce the Mini-Grant program. Any K-12 rural teacher whose school is served by a Rural Electric Cooperative or whose students’ homes are served by a Rural Electric Cooperative is eligible. Ten grants of $300 are offered for classroom-based projects that feature student investigation of scientific energy or electricity. Projects must demonstrate student-teacher cooperation and coordination with local electrical cooperatives; they also must focus on student learning and adhere to other specified guidelines. Contact: Rural Teacher Mini-Grants, NREA Headquarters, 10 Education Building, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1588; (970) 491- 7022; e-mail doceades@juno.com.
April 19 LANGUAGE
The Center for Applied Linguistics seeks applicants for its G. Richard Tucker Fellowship. From June 2002 through May 2003, including a four-week residency at the center in Washington, D.C., the fellow works with senior CAL staff on one of the group’s ongoing research projects or on a suitable project suggested by the fellow. During the remainder of the year, the fellow remains in contact with the CAL staff as needed. Priority is given to proposals that focus on language education and testing or on language issues related to minorities in the United States or Canada. The competition is open to master’s or doctoral candidates currently enrolled in a degree program in any field that is concerned with the study of language. Applicants must have completed the equivalent of at least one year of full-time graduate study. Minorities especially are encouraged to apply. The fellowship pays a $2,400 stipend plus travel expenses. For more information, contact: Grace Burkart, Center for Applied Linguistics, 4646 40th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20016; (202) 362-0700; e-mail grace@cal.org.
*May 1 HUMANITIES
The National Endowment for the Humanities announces its 2003-04 fellowships for individuals wanting to pursue advanced research in the humanities. Faculty and staff members of primary and secondary schools are eligible to apply for grants of $40,000, awarded for nine- to 12- month fellowships, and $24,000, awarded for six- to eight-month fellowships. Contact: Fellowships, Division of Research Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Room 318, Washington, DC 20506; (202) 606-8200; e-mail fellowships@neh.gov; www.neh.gov/grants.
*May 1 SCIENCE
The American Honda Foundation announces a grant program for national organizations working in areas of youth and scientific education, including public and private elementary and secondary schools. Scientific education encompasses the physical and life sciences, mathematics, and technology. Winners are selected based on an application, grant proposal, and supporting documentation. To be eligible, organizations must not receive funding from religious, fraternal, or veterans’ organizations, labor groups, or beauty and talent contests. The number of grants awarded depends on the availability of funds. Grants range from $10,000 to $75,000 and are not given to individuals. For more information, contact: Kathryn Carey, American Honda Foundation, P.O. Box 2205, Torrance, CA 90509; (310) 781-4090; fax (310) 781-4270.
*May 25 MATERIALS SCIENCE
The ASM International Foundation, a society of metals and materials scientists, awards 10 grants of $500 each to K-12 teachers. Applicants submit two-page proposals describing curriculum-based, hands-on projects that enhance students’ awareness of the materials around them and involve observation, communication, and math and science skills. For more information, contact: Jeanne Deatherage, ASM International Foundation, 9639 Kinsman Rd., Materials Park, OH 44073-0002; (800) 336-5122, ext. 5133; e-mail jdeather@asminternational.org; www.asminternational.org.
*May 30 GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
The Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation invites graphic communications teachers to submit grant proposals for graphic communications education projects. Typical programs aim to train teachers, guidance counselors, and other faculty or to teach students about graphic arts technology, as well as expose them to career opportunities within the industry. Proposals submitted by May 30 are considered for full funding; proposals for grants of up to $2,500 are accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, contact: Eileen Cassidy, Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation, 1899 Preston White Dr., Reston, VA 20191-4367; (703) 264-7200; fax (703) 620-3165; e-mail gaerf@npes.org.
*June 15 LOW-INCOME SCHOOLS
Nike’s Jordan brand sponsors the Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program, which recognizes public school teachers or paraprofessionals working to inspire 6th through 12th graders at schools where at least 40 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. A committee of teachers chooses winners based on the uniqueness of projects or lesson plans submitted by applicants. Each year, up to 400 grants of $2,500 are available for resource materials, supplies, equipment, and transportation costs related to the project. For more information, contact: Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program, Scholarship Management Services, CSFA, 1505 Riverview Rd., P.O. Box 297, St. Peter, MN 56082; (507) 931-1682; e-mail jordanfundamentals@csfa.org; nikebiz.com/community/jord an_fund.shtml.
*June 30 REGIONAL STUDIES
The Orion Society, an award-winning publisher and environmental education organization, offers up to 10 Stories in the Land teaching fellowships to promote the study of local landscapes, histories, and literature. K-12 teachers in the United States and Canada are eligible for these yearlong $1,000 fellowships. Application materials include a project proposal outlining the curriculum and its objectives, a personal statement, a project budget, the applicant’s résumé, and a letter of support from the school’s chief administrator. Applications are available online. For more information, contact: Dale Abrams, Education Coordinator, Stories in the Land, Orion Society, 187 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230; (413) 528-4422; e-mail dabrams@orionsociety.org; www.oriononline.org/sil.
*July 1 COMPUTERS
Wolfram Research Inc., makers of Mathematica, a technical computing software system, announces the High School Grant Program. Grants support K-12 teachers worldwide who use Mathematica to develop computer-based classroom materials. Recipients earn copies of Mathematica software for their schools, other course materials, and technical support. The number of grant recipients varies. Applications are available online. For more information, contact: Wolfram Research Inc., 100 Trade Center Dr., Champaign, IL 61820; (800) WOLFRAM or (217) 398-0700; e-mail highschoolgrants@wolfram.com; www.wolfram.com/company/prog rams/hsgp.
*July 15 JAPAN
The United States-Japan Foundation offers grants to improve U.S. K-12 instruction on Japan through professional development, intensive study tours in Japan, and curriculum design. The foundation funds new or existing programs that include some of the following components: leadership development, information on U.S.-Japan relations and contemporary issues in both countries, training on using international issues in the classroom, and multimedia teaching tools. Grants last for one year but may be renewed by the foundation, which also supports the improvement of Japanese language instruction through teacher training and curriculum development. Letters of inquiry must be received by July 15; full grant proposals are due August 31. For more information, contact: David Janes, Program Officer, Precollege Education Programs, United States-Japan Foundation, 145 E. 32nd St., 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016; (212) 481-8757; fax (212) 481-8762; e-mail djanes@us-jf.org; www.us-jf.org.
—Rose Gordon
