External School Grants
| GRANT | Brief Description | Application Period (subject to change) |
| Harbor Freight | The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence is an annual award recognizing outstanding skilled trades teachers in U.S. public high schools. As the flagship program of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, the prize is designed to shine a light on excellent skilled trades education and build a network of exceptional trades teachers. | March - May |
| Education Foundation for California Schools | The Education Foundation for California Schools awards grants to California public and private school teachers for the creation of an innovative program that aims to inspire students to excel in core subjects. Applications are chosen based on various criteria outlined below. Eligibility restrictions apply. Core subject areas of Language Arts (Reading/Writing/Phonics), Science/Mathematics, Foreign Language, and Social Studies (Geography/History/Economics). | October 1 |
| Believe in Reading Grants | Believe in Reading awards grants to existing and provably successful literacy programs. Programs established for a minimum of 2 years. Believe will consider funding programs that serve any age or aspect of supporting reading and literacy, English as a second language projects. At this time, the maximum grant amount is $10,000, but new applicants are funded for under $3,000. | ONGOING |
| Donors Choose | Will help bring classroom dreams to life. Get crayons, books, telescopes, field trips, & more. Starts @ $500 but goes up as funded. | ONGOING |
| Target Local Store Giving Program | Local Store Giving: Our local stores care about the communities they are in. If your organization is a non-profit 501(c) 3, accredited school or government agency, you may go to our store to request a Target GiftCard donation. | August to October |
| Walmart Community Grant | Categories-health, hunger, education, safety, etc. They range from a minimum of $250 to a maximum of $5,000. | February to December |
| Classics For Kids Grant | If your school or non-profit organization believes in the role of fine instruments in your program and can show evidence of need and commitment to raising matching funds, you are a strong candidate for the matching grant program. Applications accepted quarterly. Deadlines: June 30, September 30, December 31 and March 31. | June, Sept, December & March |
| Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant | Grant funding is provided to assist in the following areas:
| February to May |
| Dollar General Summer Reading Grant | Summer Reading Grants support the creation or expansion of summer reading programs. Local nonprofit organizations and libraries are encouraged to apply if their programs meet the following criteria:
Up to $3,000.
| February to May |
| Dollar General Adult Literacy Grant | Adult Literacy Grants award funding to nonprofits that provide direct services to adults in need of literacy assistance in one of the following areas:
| January to February |
| Dollar General Family Literacy Grant | Nonprofit organizations who support the whole family in literacy and are seeking funding are encouraged to apply if they provide the following:
Within 15 miles of a store. | January to February |
| Dollar General Beyond Words | Within the past 36 months must have lost its building or incurred substantial damage or hardship due to a natural disaster (tornado, earthquake, hurricane, flood, avalanche, mudslide), fire or an act recognized by the federal government as terrorism. Up to $5,000. Within 15 miles of a store. | ONGOING |
| Snapdragon Book Foundation Grant | Funds can be used for:
| November -February |
| Kids Need to Read Grant | Kids Need to Read provides books, periodicals, and literacy resources to schools, libraries, and other organizations that administer literacy programs to disadvantaged children and adolescents. A school, library, or organization receiving books from Kids Need to Read must be a governmental agency or 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization located in the United States or its territories. These organizations must serve at least 50% of children living at or below the national poverty rate. Schools may use free and reduced lunch data for poverty level rates. | Does Not Accept Applications During the Months of May, June, November & December. |
| Believe in Reading Grant | Support the efforts of nonprofit organizations that teach, improve, or encourage reading by people of all ages from around the world. Believe in Reading awards grants to existing and provably successful literacy programs. $1,000 up to $10,0000 | ONGOING |
| Lisa Libraries Book Donation | Schools/organization in a low-income or underserved area that needs a small library, needs to rebuild or add to a library, or serves children who would benefit by being given new books to take home. | ONGOING |
| Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grant | To help build collections and bring books into the lives of children in preschool programs, faith-based reading projects, homeless shelters, charter schools, underfunded libraries, and other community organizations. Will receive copies of approximately 60-100 titles by African American authors and illustrators, including a full set of the year’s winning and honor titles. Approximately $1,500. | January |
| Loleta D Fyan Library Grant | The project(s):
| January |
| Pat Carterette Professional Development Grant | The grant will be awarded to an individual on an annual basis to provide monetary support (up to $1,000) to participate in continuing educational event(s) to keep current in his/her career field. Monies may be used to participate in continuing professional development even(s) offered by the American Library Association (ALA), an ALA-related unit or association, State Library Associations, ASTD, the American Management Association (AMA), or any other Learn RT Board approved activity/event. | February |
| Barnes & Noble Donation Grant | For donation and sponsorship requests, submit your proposal to the community business development manager or store manager at your local Barnes & Noble store. Visit the Store/Event Locator to find the store nearest you. The proposal will be reviewed to see if it meets our criteria, and a limited number of proposals will be forwarded to the district manager and national business development department for approval. Up to $5,000 book donation. Within 60 miles of a store. | Ongoing |
| Good Sports Grant | Drives equitable access in youth sports and physical activity, by supporting children in high-need communities to achieve their greatest potential, on the field and in life. Gain access to our catalog of available inventory, which displays the equipment, apparel, and footwear that we have available. Be able to use up to six (6) equipment requests over a two-year period. | VARIES |
| Social Emotional Learning Innovation Grant | For projects that foster social and emotional competencies in students in grades PK-12. For teacher-led projects will be a maximum of $5,000 each. District-level grant awards will be a maximum of $25,000 each. | VARIES |
| Firehouse Subs Public Safety Grant | Provides lifesaving equipment and prevention education tools, includes heart defibrillators. Focuses its resources in areas served by Firehouse Subs restaurants but recognizes the need of rural areas and will consider applications outside of the 60 mile guideline. Average Award $15,000 to $25,000. | ONGOING |
| Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Grant | Must provide an enriched learning experience either supporting or extending the basic curriculum. Here are some examples of approved projects:
It must cost no more than $500. | May 2024 |
| Peter Marsh Foundation Music Grant | All public Middle Schools in the United States, which have a music curriculum, are eligible to apply for the Peter R. Marsh Foundation’s Music Grant. $1000 | SEPTEMBER-JANUARY |
| Action 4 Healthy Kids Grants | Action for Healthy Kids has provided $9.3 million in grants to schools and districts since 2009 to help them accomplish their student wellness goals. Grant opportunities vary. | Fall |
| PE4LIFE Speed Stacks Grant | During the September through June school year, Speed Stacks will be awarding one Sport Packs per month to deserving grant applicants (one Sport Pack/organization). | ONGOING |
| Easton Archery Grant | The Easton Foundations funds programs and organizations that align with their vision of, “Inspiring Growth in Archery” and mission, “To inspire individuals and collaborate with partners by providing resources and services that result in growth and life-long enjoyment of archery.” Up to $500. | March |
| Junior Olympic Archery Development Grant | The Ann Hoyt/Jim Easton JOAD Grant is made possible by archery legend, Ann Hoyt and current supporter of youth archery, Jim Easton for items such as, target butts, stands, archery equipment, general supplies and coaching certification. $5,000 | |
| FFA Living to Serve Grant | Several grant opportunities are available for middle/high school FFA chapters from $400 - $8,000 to support a service-learning projects. | April to June |
| Kids in Need Foundation Grant | Donations of Classroom Supply Boxes containing pencils, pencil pouches, folders, notebooks, sharpeners, erasers, rulers, and pens. Additional items are included based on grade level, such as crayons and markers for younger grades, and loose-leaf paper and colored pencils for older. Student population must be 70% or more free and reduced lunch program. | July -August |
| Tractor Supply Grants 4 Growing | To develop or improve an agricultural project. Example projects focused around greenhouse development, public landscaping or livestock, building an on-site barn with the funding so that students have more hands-on learning experiences with livestock, outdoor classroom construction, etc. Up to $5000 | January to February |
| SC Johnson Foundation Grant | Programs that emphasize student academic achievement, with a focus on academic enrichment and advancement, such as early childhood education, K-12, post-secondary, technical and vocational schools. | ONGOING |
| Walton Foundation Grant | Does not accept unsolicited grant proposals, except from public charter school developers who meet certain criteria described in Public Charter Startup Grant Program . CHARTER SCHOOLS ONLY. AMOUNT VARIES | OPEN |
| Michael and Susan Dell Foundation | Focus area and location is education & health and wellness. The organization is an association or board, charitable trust, community foundation, social enterprise, direct service organization, not-for-profit company, government, pass-through organization, private foundation, religious organization, school, or education organization. The amount requested is $50,000 or more. | OPEN |
| Pets in the Classroom Grant | Grants are offered to Pre-Kindergarten through 9th grade teachers. Eligible pets include small mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and arachnids. Dogs, cats and other larger house pets do not qualify. Up to $150. Sustaining grants for food and supplies are available for $50. | ONGOING |
| Aldi Smart Kids Grant | ALDI Smart Kids is a special program dedicated to supporting the health and wellness of the children in our communities. We do this by supporting local community organizations that encourage kids to be active in the areas of education, physical activity, nutrition, socializing and the arts. Our support ranges from monetary donations to ALDI gift cards. | ONGOING |
| Toshiba American Foundation Grant | Must be STEM related. Interested in funding innovative projects designed by teachers or small teams of teachers for use in their own schools and classrooms. Up to $5000. | K-5 due Oct 6-12 due June, Sept, Dec & March |
| Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant | To support museums, cultural, and performing arts programs; schools, hospitals, educational and skills training programs, programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and their programs. The Foundation provides support for specific projects or activities of an organization, as well as for operating support. The Foundation does not have a preference between program and operating support. More likely to fund school foundations, PTO’ than schools. $1000-$20,000 | November & May |
| Ross Stores Foundation Grant | Academic Achievement: Programs include: Literacy, STEM, Tutoring , School Clothes & Supplies, Pre-school/Headstart , GED Programs, Stay-in-School Efforts such as Anti-truancy , Attendance Support, Drop-Out/Re-Entry, College readiness & SAT/ACT Preparation & Counseling for Financial Aid. Within a 25 miles of a Ross store. Life Skills: Programs include: Mentoring, Financial Literacy, After-School Programs, Gang-prevention/anti-violence, Active listening/Communication, Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Career Readiness/Job Skills, Mock Interviews, Professional Dress ,Resume Writing , Retail- or Fashion-Specific Career Programs, excluding fashion shows. Average Awards are $350 usually as gift cards. | ONGOING |
| Costco Warehouse Donation | Focus on supporting children, education, and/or health and human services. Individual schools. $25-$100 gift cards. | ONGOING |
| Costco Wholesale Grant | Focus on supporting children, education, and/or health and human services. Not open to individual schools. Must reach a broader group like the entire school district. Up to $10,000 | ONGOING |
| Mockingbird Music Foundation Grant | For instruments, texts, office materials, or equipment; the support of learning, practice, and/or performance spaces; and the provision of instructors or instruction. We appreciate the fostering of self-esteem and free expression, but have never funded music therapy separate from education nor music appreciation which does not include participation. $100-$10,000 | VARIES |
| Brinker International Charitable Grant | Main areas of giving are health, social services, arts and education, and diversity. Open to all but priority given to areas with Chili’s Restaurant or Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant. Up to $5000 | ONGOING |
| Build-A-Bear Donation | Supports organizations that help:
To help as many organizations as possible, donations may only be requested in multiples of 12, up to a maximum of 120 bears per request. | Currently Closed |
| Verizon Foundation Grant | Funding priorities are STEM education for K-12 youth and domestic violence education and prevention for youth, women and older adults. New applications are by invitation only. You must CLICK HERE & find your local representative to see if they approve you as eligible. | ONGOING |
| 4 Imprint Donation | To receive $500 in promotional products/giveaways. | ONGOING |
| P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education Grants | The purpose of the Teacher Grant is to support a new or evolving program that integrates the arts into education in the school classroom setting, with a special focus on those who learn differently. Funds development and implementation of a “hands-on” visual art learning tool. Visual art is best described as creative works which are primarily visual in nature, such as drawing, painting, sculpting, ceramics, architecture, printmaking and photography. Up to $1000 | July to September |
| Sony Foundation Grant | Focuses on art, culture, technology and the environment, with a particular emphasis on education in each of those areas. Encourages of the creative, artistic, technical and scientific skills required of tomorrow’s workforce. Innovative projects. $100,000 | ONGOING |
| Karma for Cara Foundation Micro-Grants | Helps youth execute and magnify their initiatives to help repair our world. Examples-turn a vacant lot into a community garden, rebuild a school playground or help senior citizens ready their homes for the winter, supports a wide variety of projects and events. $1000 | ONGOING |
| Lois Lenski Covey Foundation Grant | To operate a lending bookmobile that travels into neighborhoods populated by underserved youth. The grants are for purchasing books published for young people preschool through grade 8. Provides grants to organizations that serve economically or socially at-risk children, have limited book budgets, and demonstrate real need. $500 to $3000 | February to October |
| ACS-Hach High School Chemistry Classroom Grant | Funds:
Teachers can request up to $1,500 for their ideas | February -April |
| National Weather Association Foundation | K-12 to help improve the education of their students, their school, and/or their community in the science of meteorology. To:
| Spring |
| AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant | To inspire and advance the future of Aerospace is to fund grants to meet the unmet and unfunded educational need of students. Classroom STEM demonstration kits
Each school year, AIAA awards grants of up to $500. | Due Oct 1 |
| Air Force Association Grant | To promote aerospace education throughout classrooms and units. Up to $250 every other academic year. | October & February |
| EcoSolution Grant | To support solution-oriented, youth-led projects that result in real environmental outcomes. From $500-$2,500. | Sept- Jan & March-July |
| Kids Gardening.org | Several opportunities to support school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for students and their communities. The Budding Botanist Grant Any Title I school planning a new or expanding an existing school garden program designed to teach students about environmental sustainability and the importance of biodiversity. | November-December |
| Bee Cause Project Grant | The Bee Cause Project is to provide youth with opportunities to understand, engage, and learn from honey bees in order to connect with the natural environment while developing STEAM skills. | September |
| KaBoom Playground Grant | REQUIRES MATCH. Keurig Dr Pepper & KaBOOM offer $15,000 grants to be used toward the purchase of playground equipment. Grantees will lead their community through a self-guided planning process, using the $15,000 grant towards the total cost of playground equipment and assembling the playground. Grantees have up to one year to build the playground. | January May & September |
| CHS Foundation Classroom Grant | Classroom projects that use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies and more. Eligible projects include classroom and schoolyard gardens, embryology projects, aquaculture projects and agricultural literacy reading programs to name a few. $500 | July -September |
| Salad Bars 2 Schools Grant | Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S) donates salad bars to U.S. schools so that every child has daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables. | ONGOING |
| Apples for Education | Submit your school for grant funding for supplemental nutrition or programs that teach students how to make healthy choices. | October |
| Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant | Provides a $2,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden. | February |
| Wild Ones Seeds 4 Education Grant | Provides learning opportunities connecting children to nature. Examples include a preschool pollinator garden, a rain garden to improve water quality planted by high school students, a tallgrass prairie established by elementary students at a public library, a native plant monarch waystation featuring citizen science activities, and a sensory and natural playground for families at a state park. Project must use native plants or seeds to educate youth. $500 | July to October |
| Sodexo Stop Hunger Grant | To impact on the issue of childhood hunger. $400 | January |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation Grant | Open for donation requests. Average award $1,000. | ONGOING |
| USTA-Tennis Grants | For building a state-of-the-art, multi-court tennis facility or you just to repair the cracked courts at the local park down the street. $5,000-$100,000 | VARIES |
| California Fertilizer Foundation Grant | Teachers interested in starting or expanding a garden, in a public or private school, are invited to apply for one of 24 CFF School Garden Grants of $1,200 plus educational materials. Preschools must be located on the grounds of a K-12 school to be considered. | JUNE |
| USDA Farm to School Grant | For training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs. Planning grant awards will range from $20,000-$50,000 and implementation grant awards will from $50,000-$100,000. Funding for training grants is expected to range from $20,000-$50,000. | September |
| JJ WATTS Foundation Grant | Must be able to answer these questions: A planned/established after school sports program in the U.S., meeting between 3:00-5:30, for kids in 6th – 8th grades? Over 60% of students eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch program? Outdated, worn out uniforms and vital equipment that need to be replaced and will be reused year after year? Up to $50,000 | OPEN |
| California Retired Teachers Association | $100 grants to be used in your classroom anyway you’d like – no strings attached. Ongoing giveaways. | ONGOING |
| NEA Learning & Leadership Grants | Supports the professional development of NEA members. $2,000-$5,000. | FEBRUARY |
| NEA Student Success Grant | Help students learn how to think critically and solve problems. Supports the student success of NEA members. $2,000-$5,000. | FEBRUARY |
| California Retired Teachers Association | $100 grants to be used in your classroom anyway you’d like – no strings attached. Ongoing giveaways. | ONGOING |
| Innovative Reading Grant | Supports the planning and implementation of a unique and innovative program for children which motivates and encourages reading, especially with struggling readers. $2,500 | FEBRUARY |
| Voya Unsung Heroes Grant | Each project is judged on its:
Each year, 50 finalists are selected to receive a $2,000 grant, payable to both the winning teacher and his or her school. At least one grant is awarded in each of the 50 states, provided at least one qualified application was received from each state. Of the 50 finalists, three are selected for additional financial awards: $25,000 for first place; $10,000 for second place; and $5,000 for third place | MAY |