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Stories of Success

Educator Initiative Grants

If you’ve never had the opportunity to deliver a GIANT check for grant money to a teacher, we hope one day you’ll get the chance! 

The Foundation has become synonymous with “classroom grants,” funding the imagination and innovation of teachers. The Educator Initiative Grant program has been one of our most successful programs, funding programs, ideas, and technology – with quite a few ideas making their way to become part of every school!

 In 1997, we funded 56 grants totaling $74,114. Some notable projects that year included math manipulatives for an entire elementary school, a science project to study the Aurora-Jewell wetlands, and a global positioning system to build the link between geography and science in a partnership with NASA to share information via the newly-created Internet.

In 2022, we funded 202 grants totaling $193,000! Some notable projects included cardio drumming, calming corners, a library nook, robotics equipment, and an astronomy experience. When the grant money is awarded, members of the Foundation Board and staff deliver giant checks to the schools. 

“Some of my favorite moments have been being able to bring some of the EIG grant checks to the educators in the district and actually SEEING the impact that the foundation makes for our students.,” shared Breze Caldwell, a current Board member and liaison for Parents’ Council.

Claudine McDonald, a former Board member, shared that she loved seeing the grant applications and what interesting ideas CCSD teachers could develop.

“The educator grants always made me excited,” McDonald said. “Not only because staff were able to receive grants, but to see the ingenuity in classroom instruction made me excited for our students. I knew we were putting the best in front of our students and it was exciting to see how the Foundation was able to support the work in interesting financial times.”

“As a board member, I was on the grant committee and found reading the individual grants intriguing, but also became a little disappointed when there weren’t enough funds to support more of the grants we were deciding on,” shared Michele Beserra, CCSF’s Board Chair in 2011. “But being able to go to the schools and present a check for the grants we did approve was one of my favorite moments.”

SIDE NOTE: Given the recent advances in artificial intelligence, we expect to see a rise in technology-based grants in the coming years. We decided to ask everyone’s favorite AI, ChatGPT, what ideas they thought teachers might have for future Educator Initiative Grants! 

Its ideas included a STEM lab, reading nook, environmental conservation, coding, and space exploration. But the joke’s on you, ChatGPT – our teachers have all applied for similar grants…but we haven’t gotten a grant for a rocket ship just yet. (Maybe next year!)

Our Impact This Year

  • Grants Awarded to Educators

    $193,000

  • Students Impacted

    53,000

  • Scholarships Awarded

    $55,000

  • Donated to Mental Health

    $122,000

  • JHL Constructors
  • United Healthcare
    United Healthcare
  • Westerra Credit Union
  • Ed and Kacy Adams
    Ed and Kacy Adams

    Ed and Kacy Adams

  • Margie and Joe Adams
    Margie and Joe Adams

    Margie and Joe Adams

  • DLR Group

    DLR Group

  • Aurora Housing Authority
    Aurora Housing Authority

    Aurora Housing Authority

  • CCA Foundation
  • Johnson Controls
    Johnson Controls

    Johnson Controls

  • Health One
  • Aon
  • 1st Bank
  • MDC Richmond Foundation
  • CCS Facility Services
  • CU Denver
    CU Denver
  • Butler Snow
  • Stifel
  • ANB Bank
    ANB Bank

    ANB Bank

  • Plante Moran
  • Saunders
  • Adolfson & Peterson Construction
  • MA Meyer Construction
  • GTC Construction
    GTC Construction
  • Aurora Chamber of Commerce
    Aurora Chamber of Commerce
  • Kore
    Kore

    Kore

  • Kaiser Permanente
    Kaiser Permanente
  • JP Morgan
    JP Morgan

    JP Morgan

  • Alpine Bank
  • Credit Union of Colorado
    Credit Union of Colorado
  • Cuningham Architecture
  • OS Schools
    OS Schools
  • Jacobs
  • Hord Coplan Macht
  • Meteor Education
  • Knoll Team
  • Jacobs
  • CCEA
  • BC Interiors
  • Hilltop Securities
  • Piper Sandler & Co
  • RBC Capital Markets
  • RTA
  • Meteor Education
  • Haselden
  • CoBank
    CoBank
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