Foundations in Education Invites Educators to Apply for Grants
September 25, 2020 | Foundations in Education | General Media Mentions News
Foundations in Education is pleased to announce that applications to the Innovation and Leadership Grants Program opened September 15, 2020.
The grants program promotes excellence in Catholic education by supporting teachers’ creative projects and professional development. Grants funded through this program are for transformative initiatives that may benefit multiple grade levels and have a long-term impact on student learning.
Now in its 4th year, this competitive program was the first of its kind in the diocese to offer innovation and leadership grants to teachers and administrators.
To date, Foundations in Education has funded 71 transformative grants totaling $367,500.
Educators within the Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic Schools are encouraged to submit grant proposals from September 15 – October 31, 2020.
A grants committee carefully reviews each proposal and submits recommendations to Foundations’ Board of Trustees for approval. The committee is led by Dr. Julie McNamara, President Emerita of Albertus Magnus College and Foundations’ Board member.
“It was heartening to see the unintended, but very positive consequences of several of our grants this past year was aiding students and teachers in the transition to remote learning,” shared Foundations in Education Executive Director Holly Doherty-Lemoine. “All Saints, for example reported their students were able to transition to distance learning rather smoothly, thanks to their grant,” Holly added.
Craig Pucci ‘s Innovation Grant last year allowed 8th graders at Catholic Academy of Stamford to take two new Computer Science classes: 1) Computer Science for Innovators and 2) Makers and App Creators. Students learned how to build apps for use in portable devices and program physical computing devices that address authentic real world activities and problems.
“Fortunately, both of these classes continued while we engaged in distance learning with little modification,” shared Pucci. “Students were able to continue to work through various programming activities and tested them using online emulators.”
“We anticipate applications will look different this year,” commented Committee Chair Dr. Julie McNamara. “With the fluidity of our current environment, the actual experiences of remote teaching last spring and the flexibility and creativity needed to deliver lessons across platforms, we believe teachers will have some very creative ideas born from their new experience,” she added. “We are eager to see the innovative and inspiring ideas they present for this round of grants.”
Foundations in Education is an independent non-profit initiative created to assist the Diocese of Bridgeport’s ongoing mission to support Catholic education in Fairfield County by supporting innovation in academic and extra-curricular programs, fostering opportunities for the professional development of school leaders and providing tuition assistance to families in need.