Each year, the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools awards grants to teachers to fund STEM, ELA, Character Development, and Arts projects through our Grants for Great Ideas program. These projects go beyond normal classroom instruction, allow teachers to provide memorable experiences for their students, and enhance student achievement.
With generous support from our community, the Foundation distributes over 45 grants each year that impact over 20,000 students in Seminole County. Grant awards to classrooms, grade-level, and school-wide projects provide resource materials and equipment for learning activities the students will remember for a lifetime.
During the 2025-2026 Grant Cycles, The Foundation awarded over $73,700 in classroom and school wide grants. These grants funded 56 STEM, ELA, Arts, and newly added Character Development projects to expose students to hands-on content that enhanced their normal curriculum and exposes them to technologies and resources they may not have had the opportunity to experience. In total, these projects supported 654 teachers and impacted over 27,000 students at 36 schools, with 58% of projects at High Need Schools.
Projects like these can make the difference between developing a good lesson plan and developing a great lesson plan that will make a meaningful impact on your students that they won’t forget. Check out this video of a beautiful butterfly and vegetable garden that was created at Lake Orienta!
For SCPS Educators
Grant applications open at the beginning of each school year. To receive funding early in the school year, teachers should submit requests by the September deadline. This allows time to order and receive materials and supplies, implement the projects, and measure the outcomes prior to deadlines.
Grant awards are funded up to $1,000 for single classroom projects and up to $2,500 for grade-level or school-wide projects.
“There are no words to thank GFGI enough for what it’s brought to our students. We have uncovered hidden talents in many of our kids that even they didn’t know they had. This has been an amazing experience for both students and staff. We really appreciate the Foundation for recognizing and supporting the special work we do and look forward to continuing this project for years to come. I have always found the grant process easy to work with and the staff is such a huge help whenever we need them. Thank you so much!!!!” – Michele Oliver, SCPS Teacher and Past GFGI Recipient
Would you like to learn more about how to put your great idea into action this year? Check out the 2026-2027 Grants for Great Ideas Program Guidelines and Overview. For tips on how to present your great idea and a helpful template to draft your proposal, we recommend downloading the Grants for Great Ideas Application Template and Questions Guide and this year’s GFGI Budget Form. When you’ve perfected your proposal, use the templates to officially submit your application GFGI 2026-2027 Online Application.
Looking for inspiration? SCPS can access our Great Idea Guides created using valuable insight and helpful tips from successful past projects. Projects include Butterfly and Garden Club, ELA Classroom Transformations, Our Resource Team is Full STEAM Ahead, Hands on with Phonics, and Poppin Out for Pop Art.
Grant Categories:
– English Language Arts (ELA)
– Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM)
– Character Development
– The Arts
Application Deadlines:
– Cycle I: Sunday, September 13, 2026
– Cycle II: Sunday, October 18, 2026
– Cycle III: Monday, November 30, 2026
Apply early for better funding availability!
Application materials and details will be available at the start of each school year. Need assistance? Please contact our Program Manager at 407.320.0119 or [email protected].