Each year, the Foundation for Seminole County Public School awards grants to teachers to fund STEM, ELA, and Arts projects through our Grants for Great Ideas program. These projects go beyond normal classroom instruction and allow teachers to provide truly memorable experiences for their students. These hands-on projects help students observe, question, learn, and, most of all, achieve!
With generous support from our community, FSCPS distributes over 50 grants each year that impact over 10,000 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 2023-2024 Grant Cycles, The Foundation awarded over $73,000 for 47 STEM, ELA and Art projects at 31 different schools impacting over 14,800 students.
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 up to $1,000 for classroom projects and up to $2,500 for grade-level or school-wide projects, both amounts greatly increased in 2022!
“Grants for Great Ideas is an excellent way for teachers to get the resources needed to be dynamic influencers in students’ lives. The process to apply for the grant is simple, yet its reach is complex and lifechanging for both the teacher and their students.” – Former STEM GFGI Recipient and Retired Teacher, Sandra Moss
Would you like to learn more about how to put your great idea into action this year? Check out the 2024-2025 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 Resource and this year’s GFGI Budget Form. When you’ve perfected your proposal, use the templates to officially submit your application GFGI 2024-2025 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.
Application Deadlines:
Cycle I: Sunday, September 15, 2024
Cycle II: Sunday, October 20, 2024
Cycle III: Wednesday, November 13, 2024
**Cycle III will only open if funding is still available.
For more information, please contact our Program Manager at 407.320.0119 or mercadmz@scps.k12.fl.us.