Teacher Venture Grants available from SEF

The Solanco Education Foundation creates new and enhanced educational opportunities within the district by awarding grants to teachers and scholarships to students. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 100 Academic Venture Grants to teachers totaling nearly $60,000. These funds are provided by individuals and businesses in our community. We truly appreciate their generosity.

To be considered for a grant, teachers submit a Venture Grant request to SEF, specifying what the project is intended to accomplish, as well as the amount of funds requested. Most Grants are $500 with some flexibility based on the need. A SEF Board Committee reviews the request and then the entire Board determines to whom the Grants are approved.

SEF requests our Teacher Venture Grant recipients to provide reports at the end of the term, to evaluate to benefits of the grant to the students and the educators.

Linsey Orr

Teacher: Lindsey Orr 

The 2021-2022 Teacher Venture Grant made it possible for thirty fifth grade students at Providence Elementary to get their hands dirty and learn about nature, all while revitalizing an outdoor learning environment for our school. In this summary, I will share the successes and revisions that were made to this grant. The first change included a name change. The title Garden Club was changed to Nature Club at the start of this project.

Here’s a link to a pdf with Lindsey’s full evaluation.