Educator Resources
Resources Available Through Champions For Learning
Classroom Grants Virtual Workshop
Join us to learn about Champions For Learning’s Classroom Grants Program. This one-hour workshop will provide an overview of the Classroom Grants Program and how to apply for funding to support classroom and school projects through the Find It/Fund It portal. Any teacher who serves in a Florida Department of Education recognized K-12 school in Collier County is eligible to participate in the Classroom Grants Program, including traditional public schools, charter schools, and private/independent schools.
Date:
Registration link:
Building Your Best Practice Workshop
This two-hour workshop provides the opportunity for any educator to learn about the Golden Apple process and best practices in education. Through sessions led by past Golden Apple recipients and Champions For Learning staff, educators will learn how to identify, explain, and share their best practices. Designed to prepare any interested teacher for participation in the Golden Apple process, the workshop is a valuable opportunity for all teachers to deepen their understanding and implementation of best practices in the classroom.
In-person Session Date: Monday, October 16 3:00 – 5:00 pm at Champions For Learning
Virtual Session Date: Tuesday, October 17 from 4:30 – 6:30 pm
Registration links:
Coffee & Conversations/Educator Café `{`name TBD`}`
To support the learning and growth of current and future teachers, Champions For Learning hosts three conversations throughout the year with classroom educators. Each conversation centers around a need or concern brought forth by current and future educators and is led by retired educators. This continuum of experience brings together the wisdom insight of veteran educators with the fresh perspective and energy of current and future educators, leading to greater professional and personal satisfaction and success in the classroom. This opportunity is available to any educator in Collier County. Each session runs from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Breakfast snacks and coffee are provided.
2023-24 sessions (TBD):
- Saturday, September 9 or 23
• Saturday, January 20
• Saturday, May 11Registration links:
Classroom Grants Timeline
The Classroom Grant Online Portal through Find It/Fund It is open for new grants requests each school year from July 1 – March 8. All approved grant requests are posted for public viewing on the Champions For Learning website.
For the 2023-24 School Year:
Grant requests submitted between July 1 and September 8, 2023 will be posted online and considered by the community-based committee for support from the Classroom Grant Fund.
Grant requests submitted between July 1 and March 8 will be posted online for consideration by the general public.
This is a competitive process and there is no guarantee of funding, even if a project had been funded previously.
Grant Awarding
Funded grants are generally delivered on Surprise Grant Delivery Day in early October. Grants funded after this date are delivered on an individual basis.
Champions For Learning will transfer the grant amount to each teacher’s Class Wallet account for easy use and transparency. If the teacher does not have a Class Wallet account, a check will be presented to the teacher.
If a grant request is not funded during the fall timeline, it will stay on the Find It/Fund It portal for consideration by the general public until Spring Break. Afterwards, all unfunded projects will be archived and removed from public viewing.
All funded projects must be completed in the current school year.
Grant Reporting and Accountability
For awarded projects, teachers must complete three reporting requirements:
- Writing a Thank You note to the specific supporter(s) of each grant project.
- Completing the online Impact Report through the Find It/Fund It portal for each grant project.
- Submitting the receipts for each grant project (via Class Wallet or via email).
Tips for Writing a Successful Grant Request
1. Goal
Make sure your goal/purpose is thoroughly developed and addresses one or more of the following:
- promotes student engagement
- connects to grade level competencies or standards
- connects to a school-wide goal or priority
2. Activities
Applications must provide a detailed description of the proposed activities, a connection to the school’s current curriculum, a special emphasis on creativity, and/or the potential for permanent integration.
3. Benefit
Make sure your expected outcomes and benefits are clearly stated and well-developed and include a description of learning goals and/or potential assessment/evaluation of student engagement or learning.
4. Items/Budget Narrative
Make sure the use of funds is maximized and matches expected benefits. Provide any extra information that connects the items to the expected benefits in the narrative section.
Reach out to Champions For Learning at any time in the process with questions or concerns.
Examples of well-written (and funded!) grant requests:
- Criminal Justice – Lely High School
- Naples–Artis: Community and Students Immersed in the Arts – Immokalee Middle School
- Kids for Kindness – Pinecrest Elementary School
- To STEMfinity and Beyond! – Veterans Memorial Elementary
- Navigating the World with Nearpod – Pine Ridge Middle
- Planting a Garden – Immokalee High School
Frequently Asked Questions
- Staying drug and crime free
- Maintaining at least a 2.5 unweighted cumulative GPA and a ‘C’ or above in all courses
- Attend school regularly (No more than four absences per quarter)
- Exhibit good behavior in and out of school
- Volunteer and become involved in the community
- Meet regularly with their mentor on school grounds (or in a virtual supervised setting, when necessary)- minimum of 16 times per school year
- Complete program curriculum and yearly benchmarks (this is a program serving students in eighth through twelfth grades)
- Participate in all program activities, meetings, and events, including weekly programming in grades 11 and 12
- Respond to communication from mentor and/or Champions For Learning staff within 24 hours
Technically speaking, all non-consumables become the property of the individual school. However, it’s up to the discretion of the principal if a teacher can take any supplies/equipment if they change schools.
Reach out to Champions For Learning immediately if circumstances change after a grant has been awarded (ex. items no longer available, school or teaching schedule change, illness or maternity leave, etc). It is up to the specific donor if the funds can be used for something other than what was proposed in the original grant request.
If the request is not funded during the fall, it will remain on the public-facing webpage until March 8th. If it is not funded by then, it will be archived, and teachers may reapply in a future school year.
If the request is partially funded, Champions For Learning will reach out to see if you can use the partial funding. If yes, the funds will be released to you, and you will need to comply with the reporting requirements as outlined.
