FAQ

INDEX

• our response to covid-19.

• What is The Teacher Fund?

• How do I apply for a grant?

• What if I am unable to complete my application due to any error?

• How Should I structure the written essay in Part II of the application?

• why do I need to answer part iii of the application?

• what if I do not answer one or more sections of the application?

• what is your review process?

• is there an average grant amount?

• What are my Chances of winning a grant?

• how is the Grant distributed?

• Can I apply my grant to the advancement of my career?

• Can I apply my grant to a single event or activity for my classroom?

• Can I use my grant to purchase a single item, tablet, etc for my classroom?

• If I do or Do not Receive a teacher fund grant, can i reapply?

• When are grants open for applications?

• When are Grant recipients announced?

• What is expected of me if I win a grant?

"There is no question the equipment purchased with this grant has helped me involve students in the processes of science, thus helping them understand the nature of science as well as their abilities to conceive and design experiments and to engage in analysis, reasoning, scientific argumentation, and presentation of findings."
- 2017 Recipient

It is our policy to ship items directly from store to school. In the event your school is closed due to Covid-19, we will work with you to ensure your grant-purchased-items are received in a timely manner.

There is no expiration date on your grant funds.

A. Founded in 2017, The Teacher Fund is a privately funded 501(c)(3) certified nonprofit focused on distributing small sum grants to K-12 teachers who display extraordinary talent empowering their students.

To verify our 501(c)(3) status, please visit the IRS here and search for us using our EIN: 82-1173108.

Please Note:
We will never ask for a donation. We will never ask for your credit card information or any other financial information.

A. Requirements & Instructions:

• Complete and upload an employment verification. Please download the form here. The form must be signed by you and your principal. We accept electronic signatures. For information on how to electronically sign, please read this guide.* If you have any issues, please contact us here.

• Verify you are over the age of 18 and employed full-time by any public school in the United States.

• Verify you have read The Teacher Fund's Privacy Policy / Terms of Service and consent to submitting your personal information.

• Provide your and your school's contact information.

• Answer 20 questions in Part I of the application.

• Answer the essay query in Part II. This essay is a minimum of 300 words, and anything beyond 500 words will not be reviewed as part of your application.

• Answer the questions in Part III; these questions will not be reviewed as part of the grant selection, instead they help us better understand the needs and requirements of the teacher.

• Apply using our application here.

• Once you start the application, please do not exit your browser. You will not be able to stop and save your place. You will not be able to take the application more than once.

For detailed instructions, please download our guide, here.
A member of The Teacher Fund team will be in touch if there is an issue with any component of the application. 

A. In the case of an application related error or emergency, please contact us here, with the subject line: "Application ERROR." Please give as many details as possible. We will respond within two business days.

A. We recommend structuring your essay to answer the following questions:
(a) "What is your philosophical approach to education?" 
(b) "How will the grant enhance the learning environment in your classroom?"
(c) "What will you specifically purchase?"*
(d) "What is your desired outcome?"
(e) "How will you measure your success?"
*Regarding (c), this can be a general summary; if you want to stock your classroom library, you do not need to list every book you wish to purchase.

A. Part III of the application is 24 questions; view these as a survey. They help us understand the needs and requirements of the teacher, while learning more about you.

If you are a grant recipient, we may ask you to re-answer these 24 questions at the end of the semester. By repeating this part of the application, we can learn if your opinion has changed or remained the same, and how this impacts your students. 

A. Not answering any part of the application means the application will not be reviewed.

A. Eligible applications are reviewed by specialists in relevant fields. A committee comprised of professional experts and practicing / former teachers review applications and make their determinations at official meetings.
We will score your application based on three areas of consideration: 50% to alignment with The Teacher Fund vision and focus, 25% to feasibility, and 25% to the probability of positive impact.

A. We currently distribute small sum grants equalling $500 or $1000 each.

A. To ensure we are not wasting teachers’ valuable time, we are currently accepting grant applications until a specified date (which will be announced here and on our social media accounts: Instagram or Twitter) or until we receive a specific number of applications, whichever comes first — we accept five times the number of grants. If there are 5 grants, we will accept 25 applications; if there are 10, we’ll accept 50, and so on.

A. We distribute based on the classroom's needs. The recipient sends us a list of items needed (via a wishlist / shopping cart for an online shopping service like Amazon or Target, the contact information for a local store, etc). We generally have items purchased and shipped (depending on store availability) within the same month of grant distribution.
Please note, we do not directly distribute funds to any persons and/or school accounts.

A. Not at this time. The purpose of all Teacher Fund grants is to support your empowerment of your students. The grant cannot be applied to any certifications, continued education, or any individual purposes of any kind. 

A. In very rare circumstances, yes, but we will need evidence the event has an enduring positive impact on all students.  Our focus is the educational empowerment of the individual student as it pertains to the whole class. For example, while spending a day at the zoo is educational, it may or may not have a long-lasting impact on the group as a whole. A well-constructed repeatable activity has a higher chance of creating a positive learning environment for every student, and is therefore, more eligible for a Teacher Fund grant.

A. In very rare circumstances, yes, but we will need evidence the single item will be utilized by every student in the classroom and has an enduring positive impact. While we understand learning environments require various tools, we believe empowerment is not largely discovered through the internet or a tablet, etc.

A. You are eligible to reapply for The Teacher Fund grant as long as you still meet all criteria listed in the requirements. You can only apply once per application cycle.

A. Our annual grant application is open from mid-spring to early summer each year. Sometimes throughout the year, we will have additional grants open. For all grant-related updates, please subscribe here.

A. We generally announce grant recipients within one to two months of the application closing date. If you are an applicant, someone from The Teacher Fund team will reach out during the reviewing process to give you updates.

A. (1) You must use all proceeds and/or items purchased for the benefit of your classroom and your students, not for individual purposes, otherwise you may be liable to penalty.
(2) At the end of the semester and/or school year, we will ask for a brief summary explaining how you used the grant in your classroom and how successfully you achieved your desired outcome (as defined in your application essay).
(3) We may ask you to repeat Part III of the application, additional questions, to review the application process, or any other follow-up required by law.

If you haven't found an answer to your question, please contact us here.

*By providing links to other sites, The Teacher Fund does not guarantee, approve, or endorse the information and/or products available on these sites.