Author: Julia O'Connor

Most Poplular Funding Opportunities for March 2021

Most Popular Funding Opportunities Last Month

In the previous month, educators were looking for funding opportunities in the areas of equity-focused grants, STEM, and community investment. Check out which grants GetEdFunding educators viewed the most in the month of August.

Racial Equity in STEM Education
Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Division of Graduate Education

The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports bold, groundbreaking, and potentially transformative projects addressing systemic racism in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development.

Deadline: October 12, 2021

Data Center Community Grants
Sponsored by Google

Google makes grants in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and computer science (CS) education. Priority is given to programs that address structural barriers to STEM and CS education access, such as school readiness, access to in-school courses, distance learning, and teacher training and resources; initiatives that provide access for young learners in STEM and CS; and education programs that place a particular focus on underrepresented groups, including women, in STEM and CS education.

Deadline: October 2, 2021

The John Ben Snow Foundation and Memorial Trust Educational Grants
Sponsored by The John Ben Snow Foundation and Memorial Trust

John Ben Snow Foundation

The Memorial Trust responds to the ever-changing needs of various segments of the population, especially to the needs of young people and people who are disadvantaged either physically, emotionally, or economically.

Letters of Inquiry are accepted November 1 through February 1, annually.

Education Grants – BAE Systems
Sponsored by Sponsored by BAE Systems. Inc.

BAE Systems’ Community Investment awards grants to community-based organizations that support education in the target areas of early childhood, kindergarten through grade 12, higher education, and programs that advance learning in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Deadlines: Full proposals are due October 12, 2021.

Saxena Family Foundation Grants
Sponsored by The Saxena Family Foundation

Saxena Family Foundation

The Saxena Family Foundation has a particular focus on initiatives that promote US science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and the empowerment of girls, female children, and young women so that they have equal rights later in life.

Deadline: Applications are accepted year-round.



The Magic Beneath the Surface of EdTech

Editors Note: This blog was originally published on the VSTE blog and the Teaching4Tomorrow blog and has been reposted with permission. Get alerted about the next Teaching4Tomorrow blog post.

In many pursuits in life and learning, there are easy ways that cut corners and harder, but more rewarding, avenues to get to your desired destination. The world of edtech is no different, especially with the incredible pace at which technology evolves. I passionately recommend not moving away from a technology just because there is a new one available or without fully exploring the tool. Many times, the magic of edtech tools rest beneath the surface and are only discovered after users have had adequate time to explore, fail, learn, grow, discover, make connections, and collaborate. Simply because a technology isn’t the latest one released doesn’t mean it isn’t the best or just as capable as another. Likewise, if you have not given enough time for a tool to be explored completely, you may not know what is truly possible or the effect it could have on teaching, learning, or leading.

In the Land of G Suite

One area of prominent examples of the magic beneath the surface of edtech is within G Suite. Nearly every one of the apps that make up G Suite have an incredible amount of uses that you would never discover if the tool is only examined at the surface value. The power of the tools becomes apparent when you begin to peel back the outer layers. Two great examples are Google Chrome and Google Slides.

Google Chrome is, at its surface, just an internet browser. Like Microsoft Edge, Safari, or Firefox it will connect you to the vast amount of information and resources the internet holds. It will allow you to bookmark pages and even autofill forms and passwords for you. However, the magic beneath the surface is infinitely more powerful.

The first example of this is the ability to quickly change between Chrome users. This allows one to switch between work and personal accounts in seconds, each complete with their own separate bookmarks, saved autofill information, Google Drive, and more. Kasey Bell of Shake Up Learning explains the greatness of this feature quite well.

The second example of Chrome magic is found in the power of extensions installed via the Chrome Web Store. This store holds many free extensions that save time and enhance a user’s experience with Chrome. Countless added features and benefits can be found by adding in carefully selected and managed extensions (they do take system resources so choose wisely and manage with something like Extensity). Check out these blog posts all about Chrome Extensions and the magic they add to Chrome (Post 1Periodic Table of ExtensionsFor Struggling Students).

Whether you are teaching in person, virtually, or implementing blended learning, integrating photography in the classroom is accessible and adaptable for multiple subjects and grade levels. Based on our work with educators, below are five ways to use photography to effectively nurture empathy, challenge perspectives, and foster connection in students’ lives.

If you listen to the Google Teacher Tribe Podcast with hosts Kasey Bell and Matt Miller, you’ll know that Google Slides is the “Swiss army knife of G Suite” (Episodes). Without stretching the imagination too far, there are easily 50 uses for Google Slides that are not presentations. Some of these include social media templateseBooks/storybooksreview gamesanimationchoose-your-own adventure storiesbrainstorminginteractive notebooks, and even create an “app.” Trust me when I say this is barely checking into the magic beneath the surface of Google Slides…check these out for more: Control Alt AchieveDitch That TextbookShake Up LearningTeacher Tech, and All The Things You Didn’t Know Google Slides Could Do!

The Deep End of G Suite Magic Beneath the Surface
Thinking the above just isn’t enough Google awesomeness? I agree! Check out these additional resources to take an amazing look into the deep end of G Suite magic beneath the surface:


Written by Patrick B. Hausammann. Patrick is an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher in Clarke County Public Schools and was the recipient of a VSTE Tech Coach of the Year award at the 2018 Conference in Virginia Beach. Patrick describes himself as a perpetual optimist and believer in the power of a #growthmindset to #failfoward. He is the founder of UnisonEDU; Cofounder of #EdcampNSV; and a Google Certified Innovator, Trainer, Admin, and Educator 1 and 2. He can be found online at his website and as @PHausEDU on Twitter.View a recorded session on this topic.This VSTE blog has been reposted with permission. 

Most Poplular Funding Opportunities for March 2021

Most Popular Funding Opportunities Last Month

In the previous month, educators were looking for funding opportunities in the areas of equity-focused grants, reading, STEM, and at-risk community-based programs. Check out which grants GetEdFunding educators viewed the most in the month of June.

Envision Equity Grants
Sponsored by The NEA Foundation

The NEA’s Envision Equity Grants program provides educators across the United States with opportunities to lead an equity-focused reimagining of public education, encouraging students’ love of learning and the best possible educational experience for every child. Funding will support new and creative innovations in the classroom and beyond, incorporating exemplary teaching and learning practices. Competitive applicants will incorporate best practices to support the whole child including project-based learning and experiences that advance cultural understanding and appreciation or an understanding of civic engagement and democracy.

Deadline: October 15, 2021

Bookmobile Grant Program
Sponsored by Lois Lenski Covey Foundation

The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation offers grants for bookmobile programs across the nation that serve children from disadvantaged populations. Grants support organizations that operate a lending bookmobile that travels into neighborhoods populated by underserved youth. Funds must be used to purchase fiction or nonfiction books published for young people preschool through grade 8, from Early Reader books through Young Adult and Hi-Lo books.

Deadline: September 1st, 2021.

Stem Minigrants
Sponsored by
National Girls Collaborative Project

The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) supports girl-serving programs focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to address gaps and overlaps in service and share exemplary practices. Minigrants are awarded as seed funding for projects that encourage girls to pursue STEM-related educational programs and careers, and are intended to promote cooperation between existing girl-serving programs. Preference is given to applications for innovative activities and that involve first-time collaboration between the applicant organizations.

Deadline: Minigrants are awarded year-round.

Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers

Sponsored by National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation

The Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program promotes prekindergarten through grade 12 students interests and capacities to participate in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communications technology (ICT) workforce of the future. To do this, ITEST supports the development, implementation, and selective spread of innovative strategies for engaging students in experiences that: (1) increase students’ awareness of STEM occupations; (2) motivate students to pursue the appropriate education pathways for STEM occupations; and (3) develop disciplinary-based knowledge and practices, or promote critical thinking, reasoning, or communication skills needed for entering STEM workforce sectors.

Deadlines: August 13, 2021.

Education Grants, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc.
Sponsored by The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc.

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation supports organizations that serve lower-income individuals and assist vulnerable and at-risk populations in the communities in which they reside. Program areas include housing, health, jobs, education, and community services. Education priorities include science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); out-of-school time; and college and career preparedness.

Deadline: Letters of Inquiry are accepted year-round.



5 Ways to Engage Learners with Photography

Photo by Arati Kumar-Rao

Editors Note: This blog was originally published on the Teaching4Tomorrow blog and has been reposted with permission. Get alerted about the next Teaching4Tomorrow blog post.

One photograph can tell a unique and compelling story, capturing a specific moment in time and offering students opportunities to examine themselves and the world. Learning with photography can support meaningful self-inquiry, creativity, imagination, and expression in students’ lives, especially during challenging times. Photography can be used as a powerful tool for teaching and learning in the classroom and beyond.

At the Global Oneness Project, the medium of photography is used to explore global issues and cultures in the classroom, as well as highlight student voices. The Project’s photo essays document themes including human rights, cultural displacement, environmental justice, sustainability, and climate change. Through ongoing student photography contests, including their current contest “The Spirit of Reciprocity,” the Project challenges students to document their place on the planet, encouraging students to become active citizens and witnesses to the rapidly changing world.

Through photography, students are not only documenting social and environmental changes to their homes and communities, they are also capturing their personal and cultural heritage stories. For example, 16-year-old Gianna Leung from Mississauga, Canada, captured a photograph of a small clay teapot, an entry to the Project’s international photography contest, “The Artifacts in Our Lives.” Leung describes that the teapot has always been a part of her home and a part of her immigrant parents’ story. She writes, “Artifacts are a physical manifestation of the stories of our roots and are symbols we can see, hold, and experience for ourselves.”

Whether you are teaching in person, virtually, or implementing blended learning, integrating photography in the classroom is accessible and adaptable for multiple subjects and grade levels. Based on our work with educators, below are five ways to use photography to effectively nurture empathy, challenge perspectives, and foster connection in students’ lives.

1. Make Global to Local Connections
Photographs can help learners make sense of their local communities and draw meaningful comparisons to distant places. For example, students studying the effects of COVID-19 on health-care workers may examine photographs by National Geographic journalists taken close to home when air travel was not possible. By comparing the pandemic’s impacts to those in their local communities, students glean universal implications, such as distress, exhaustion, insomnia, and resilience.

2. Inspire Environmental Stewardship
A photograph has a unique way of connecting us to place and time, as well as provoking conversations around critical ecological issues. Biologist and nature photographer Paul Nicklen, for example, documents remote, extreme environments like the polar regions and endangered land and sea animals with the goal of raising awareness of the impacts of climate change. Beautiful photographs draw people in, he explains. Through greater analysis, however, they teach us about fragile, interconnected ecosystems and inspire us to protect them.

3. Bear Witness to History
Since its invention, photography has helped us understand and interpret the world. At the end of 2020, National Geographic published “2020: The Year in Pictures” with 54 photographs from an “unforgettable” year. Photographs document the pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and climate change, from the desert locusts swarming East Africa to wildfires in California. Photographic analysis tools and discussion prompts from the Library of CongressThe National Archives, the Annenberg Foundation, and Facing History and Ourselves support students of all ages to connect to and understand historical eras and events. Susan Thomson and Kayenta Williams (2008) explain the power of photographs for historical inquiry: They offer “a richness that words alone often cannot accomplish…concise captions normally take the place of narrative written material, giving the photographs the opportunity to speak for themselves.”

4. Gain New Perspectives
How might a single photograph shape students’ perceptions and ways of thinking about the world? The following resources are recommended photography sites that encourage students to consider the medium of photography through the lens of art, history, and science:

5. Photography as a Catalyst for Social Justice
Photography can serve as a form of activism. For example, in 2015, photographer Devin Allen photographed the Baltimore protests for Time Magazine after the death of Freddie Gray. The photograph he took resembled photographs taken in 1968. Allen took photos this past year during the George Floyd protests and, as a young photographer, he encourages individuals to see the Black Lives Matter movement beyond the media. He said, “Black Lives Matter is beyond a hashtag.” Use the International Center of Photography’s resource on integrating photography in the classroom with a lens on social justice. Their teacher’s guide contains learning activities and exhibition images from their collection, challenging students to identify social justice issues and be a part of the solution.

Closing Thoughts
There are many benefits and approaches educators can use to bring photography into the curriculum. Photographs can uniquely evoke an emotional response in learners, such as joy, curiosity, or empathy, as well as invite them to ask questions and investigate deeper meanings beyond first impressions. Importantly, photographs are also highly accessible for emerging readers or English language learners. Further, when selecting images that connect to students’ lives, teaching can become more culturally responsive, nurturing trust between educators and students. As with any curricular tool or resource, we encourage teachers to use their knowledge of learners when selecting appropriate photographs to forge connection, exploration, and deeper understanding of themselves and our planet.

Additional Resources: Photography as a Tool for Teaching and Learning

  1. 9 Photo Composition Tips” with photographer Steve McCurry, YouTube video by COOPH
  2. Lori Wenziger, “A Middle School Photography Project That Develops Interpersonal Skills,” Edutopia, August 19, 2020
  3. Marybeth Jackson, “Photography Can Transform Students’ Perspectives,” EdWeek, April 9, 2015
  4. The Power of Making Thinking Visible, by Ron Ritchhart and Mark Church
  5. Cooperative of Photography (COOPH) YouTube Channel
Most Poplular Funding Opportunities for March 2021

Most Popular Funding Opportunities Last Month

In the previous month, educators were looking for funding opportunities in the areas of career and college readiness, STEM/STEAM, and workforce of the future. Check out which grants GetEdFunding educators viewed the most in the month of March.

Education and Youth Grants
Sponsored by The Webb Family Foundation

Webb Family Foundation

The Webb Family Foundation makes grants in the areas of education; youth development; career and workforce development; financial literacy; entrepreneurship; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; digital and blended learning; and youth mentorship. The foundation supports programs and projects that target underserved children and youth. Recent grants have funded a college success program and support of charter schools working to close the achievement gap for low-income students.

Deadline: June 1st, 2021

Build Strong Program Grants
Sponsored by TC Energy Corporation

TC Energy

TC Energy Corporation sponsors Build Strong Program Grants that support initiatives related to education and training, the environment, community, and safety. Priority areas include early childhood education, environmental education, youth recreation and leadership, and safety education and training.

Deadline: Applications are accepted year-round.

Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers
Sponsored by National Science Foundation

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The Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program promotes prekindergarten through grade 12 students interests and capacities to participate in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communications technology (ICT) workforce of the future. To do this, ITEST supports the development, implementation, and selective spread of innovative strategies for engaging students in experiences that: (1) increase students’ awareness of STEM occupations; (2) motivate students to pursue the appropriate education pathways for STEM occupations; and (3) develop disciplinary-based knowledge and practices, or promote critical thinking, reasoning, or communication skills needed for entering STEM workforce sectors.

Deadline: August 13, 2021

Education Grants

Sponsored by Stavros Niarchos Foundation

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The Stavros Niarchos Foundation awards grants to fund projects in education as well as arts and culture, health and sports, and social welfare. The foundation has supported a variety of programs in the United States, including recent relief requests for emergency needs related to the coronavirus pandemic. Examples of previous education grants are summer and after-school tutoring programs for middle school students from low-income backgrounds, an “edible schoolyard” gardening program, music education, and multiple examples of support for higher education initiatives. Emphasis is on programs serving vulnerable populations.

Deadlines: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Education Grants – HDR Foundation
Sponsored by HDR Foundation

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Founded in 2012, the HDR Foundation has provided nearly $3 million in grants to nonprofit organizations located where HDR employees live and work in communities throughout the United States. Preference is given to discrete projects that show promise for lasting impact and projects that can be replicated or scaled. The foundation has three priority areas of focus: education, healthy communities, and environmental. Under the category of education, the foundation supports projects that focus on architecture, engineering, design, environmental science, and consulting and planning. Recent education-related grants have supported a high school robotics program; a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academy; academic success programs for underserved middle school students; and hands-on STEM activities to increase youth interest in careers in technological, engineering, and scientific fields.

Deadline: Applications for small grants are accepted May 12 through June 7, 2021. Letters of Intent for large grants are accepted July 29 through August 19, 2021.


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