Now Accepting Applications: $750 STEM and Social-Emotional Wellness Classroom Grants

We know that teachers want to prepare their students to be successful in both their professional AND personal lives. That’s why we are now accepting $750 grant applications for both our Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and Social-Emotional Wellness (SEW) Spotlight Funds.

Whether you are looking to help your high schoolers build sought-after STEM career skills or have a great idea about how to teach your elementary students conflict resolution and interpersonal skills, we are here to support you. Submit your first-round application by April 15, 2024.

Apply for a $750 STEM Grant

Apply for a $750 SEW Grant

If you are a school administrator, you are welcome to apply for this grant for classroom supplies for your students. First, you must have a school page through our School Program. Contact us for more information at [email protected].

Grant Application Process

The Spring 2024 Spotlight Funds grant application has two rounds:

Initial application: This online form only takes a few minutes to fill out and asks for some basic information about your class, school, and students. Detailed criteria can be found below.

Full application: For each Spotlight Fund, at least 200 selected applicants will be invited to answer several additional questions, including how a Spotlight Fund grant would benefit your students and what you would purchase with the grant funds. Detailed criteria can be found below.

The strongest applications for each Spotlight Fund will be selected to receive a $750 classroom grant. We will award at least 20 grants per fund. If you are unsure if you qualify for this grant opportunity, please contact our teacher services team at [email protected] for guidance.

Grant Application Timeline

April 15, 2024: Initial application round closes
April 29, 2024: Accepted applicants are notified and invited to complete the full application
May 13, 2024: Full application closes
June 10, 2024: $750 grants awarded
September 30, 2024: Donor Reports due

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be licensed PreK-12 educators or certified staff members, employed at an accredited PreK-12 public, private, or charter school in the United States.
Educators must agree to and follow AdoptAClassroom.org’s Terms of Use to apply and receive funds.
Educators must have an AdoptAClassroom.org Classroom Page and have logged in within 60 days before the round 1 application deadline. Log in or register to create your Classroom Page. Step-by-step instructions can be found here.
Educators who have had $50 or more in classroom funds expire may be deemed ineligible for Spotlight Fund grants. Learn more about why funds may expire.
Educators who apply for funds give consent for their application content, name, photo, biography, and the name of the school where they teach to be published in communications by AdoptAClassroom.org and/or their partners to promote our mission and/or partnership.
AdoptAClassroom.org reserves the right to revise application materials for clarity or communication purposes.

Thank You Report Requirements

Educators who receive a $750 STEM or SEW classroom grant will be required to complete a Thank You Report by September 30, 2024, detailing measurable impact on student success. This could include improved levels of student engagement or attendance, an increase in grade point averages, and/or several other success metrics.

Funded teachers will also be asked to provide additional thank you content, including photos of what they purchased, a thank you video, and/or thank you notes from students.

Evaluation Criteria for Initial Application

AdoptAClassroom.org will be evaluating initial applications for the following:

School need — Does the educator’s school fit AdoptAClassroom.org’s definition of a high-needs school based on the following measures?
- Relatively high percentage of students (80%+) receiving free or reduced-price lunch
- Relatively high number of students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
- Relatively high number of English-language learners
Educator need — Has the applicant received donation(s) on AdoptAClassroom.org worth more than $500 in the previous 12 months?
School location (to ensure disbursement of funds nationwide)
Log-in frequency — Has the applicant logged in to their AdoptAClassroom.org account recently? Is their Classroom Page up to date?
Number of students impacted — How many students will benefit from the grant? If you have a smaller classroom size but a compelling need for funding, apply and tell us why.

Evaluation Criteria for Full Application

Educators selected to complete a full application will be notified by email with the application link on or before April 29, 2024.

Applicants invited to the second round of the STEM Fund application process will be asked to respond to the following questions in writing:

Describe why you need funding to support your STEM-based curriculum. Tell us something unique and/or specific about your classroom. For example, you could talk about how the pandemic or other recent events have affected you and your students, or tell a story about a specific student (please keep their identity anonymous), a personal struggle or success, or anything else that highlights the uniqueness of your classroom.
How will this STEM grant help you and your students? Share your vision of how this grant will help you engage your students in STEM and meet their needs. Please highlight any unique ideas, programs, or projects that will promote student learning and engagement, and paint a clear picture of how this idea would look if it came to life.
What would you purchase with this STEM grant? Please be as specific as possible. Applicants are encouraged to research the materials and supplies available for purchase on the AdoptAClassroom.org Marketplace.

Applicants invited to the second round of the SEW Fund application will be asked to respond to the following questions in writing:

Explain why it is essential for all educators to actively address student wellness and social-emotional learning in the classroom for their students. Please briefly share how you have seen issues of student social-emotional wellness impacting your own students or school.
What specific strategies, methods, or programs do you currently use to support students’ social-emotional wellness in your classroom or school? What measurable (qualitative or quantitative changes) have you noticed by adjusting your practices to meet the needs of your students?
Describe why you need funding to support your social-emotional wellness initiatives or curriculum in your classroom. Tell us something unique and/or specific about your classroom. For example: are you seeking to implement training you received from your district or school that allows you to meet your students’ social-emotional wellness needs, what are some key wellness challenges your students experience, how have students’ social-emotional wellness needs impacted instruction post-COVID return, or tell a story about an anonymous specific student, a personal struggle or success, or anything else that highlights the uniqueness of your classroom.
How will this grant help you and your students? Share your vision of how this grant will help you engage your students in their learning and meet their needs, specifically how it promotes social-emotional wellness for your students. Please highlight a unique idea, project/s, or curriculum that you want to implement.
What would you purchase with this grant? Please be as specific as possible. Applicants are encouraged to research the materials and supplies available for purchase on the AdoptAClassroom.org marketplace.

Grading Criteria

Educator clearly explains the need for funding to support their STEM or SEW initiatives or curricula and their unique needs (5 points)
Educator articulates a problem that a $750 grant can realistically address and how the grant will make an impactful change in their classroom or for their students (5 points)

Ready to Apply?