Grants

Teachers who pursue Fund for Teachers’ transformational learning experiences catalyze these problem-solving experiences for themselves and students, ultimately changing schools and communities.

In This Section

Eligibility

Full-time teachers in the continental US, Hawaii, and Alaska in public, private and charter schools are eligible to apply if they meet the following requirements:

Spend at least 50% of their time directly providing instruction to students.
Intend to return to a classroom or teaching environment the year following their fellowship and demonstrate the ability to incorporate what they learn into their teaching.
Have at least three years of experience as a preK-12th grade teacher at the end of the school year.

Student and substitute teaching do not count towards the three-year requirement. If the applicant has three years’ experience by the time of their fellowship, Fund for Teachers considers them eligible. Previous recipients must wait for five years before reapplying. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the application guidelines prior to starting an application.

Application Information

Fellowship grant applications are accepted annually from October through January and are completed entirely online. The application consists of three parts—Coversheet, Proposal, and Budget. Applicants are encouraged to register early to fully understand the requirements and objectives.

Fund for Teachers also invites applicants to explore the Online Learning Center, which offers resources to support the ideation, preparation, and implementation of your fellowship.

The 2027 grant application will open on October 1, 2026.

If you have applied previously, you may use your existing login to begin a new application. However, be sure to review the current year’s guidelines, as eligibility requirements, proposal questions, and scoring criteria may have changed.

APPLY

Selection Process

Fund for Teachers utilizes a committee of community members, past grant recipients, educators, and donors to select our grant recipients.

Each committee utilizes the same process, scoring criteria, and scoring standards. Before a committee receives grant proposals to review, each application is screened for eligibility and completeness. Applications failing to meet Fund for Teachers eligibility criteria or those not considered complete will not be sent to the selection committee. Grants are awarded based on merit and available funding; consequently, the number of grants awarded varies each year.

We appreciate the time, thought, and care that go into each application. Due to our commitment to maintaining a fair and confidential review process, we are unable to provide individualized feedback. We encourage applicants to explore our guidelines and Online Learning Center resources for additional support.