Fund for Teachers supports educators' efforts to develop skills, knowledge, and confidence that impact student achievement. By trusting teachers to design unique fellowships, Fund for Teachers grants validate teachers' professionalism and leadership.
Fund for Teachers trusts that teachers know what’s working with their students, in their classrooms, in their school communities better than anyone else. So, we go straight to these first responders and fund their pursuits to make learning more effective in their spheres of influence. Individually, approximately 10,000 teachers have leveraged $36 million Fund for Teachers grants into growth (their students’ and their own) since 2001. These grant recipients (or FFT Fellows) constitute a national corps of empowered and validated educators, sought after in their communities and nationally as leaders, innovators, and change-makers:
At Fund for Teachers, we seek teacher leaders, who envision and enact change in their classrooms and communities, grounded in their students’ assets and needs. For more than 20 years, we have trusted teachers to design their own professional learning because teachers can and should be charged with knowing their students deeply and responding with empathy and expertise.
Every teacher has gaps in their instructional practice, and these gaps are highly individualized, so it makes sense that teachers should engage in learning that meets their needs. At the same time, every classroom is filled with unique students who come with their own lived experiences, underscoring the need for teachers to embark on even more individualized learning experiences to better show up for and serve their students.
In addition to the skills and content learned during their Fund for Teachers experience, we believe that planning for, enacting and reflecting on personalized professional learning acts as a catalyst for teachers’ deep internal reflection and awareness. The self-work that results from a Fellowship prompts positive changes in teachers’ relationships and work with students, their curriculum, their pedagogy, their school community, and their partnerships with families and community.
The culture of Fund for Teachers is one of inquiry and improvement. Ours is a relatively simple concept of for teachers by teachers. We are continuously working to improve our programs and outreach with a commitment to make sure that all eligible teachers realize that Fund for Teachers is for them. To reach teachers working in communities across the country, we partner with local education foundations and philanthropic organizations. Together we are able to market the program, manage and support applicants, conduct selection processes and fund grants.
Interested in partnering with Fund for Teachers? Contact Executive Director, Karen Eckhoff, here.
Fund for Teachers
info@fundforteachers.org
800-681-2667
