Did you know that union membership can help fund innovative projects in your classrooms and schools? CTA’s Institute for Teaching (IFT) Grants are a key part of the IFT’s mission to support public educators, students, and communities. These funds help educators turn big ideas into real impact, and are available to all SDEA members as part of our statewide affiliate. Could your classroom or school be next?
See these grant funds in action:
$20,000 is currently fueling a leadership program at Morse High School
SDEA members Maria Miller and Sonja Taylor received a $20,000 grant for their project, “Black and Brown Girls United to Heal” at Morse High School. Their project addresses the underrepresentation of young girls in leadership positions, and provides a program full of leadership development opportunities for girls to develop confidence, self-esteem, a stronger sense of belonging, and leadership capacity. Participants were invited through a collaboration with Morse’s counselors, Restorative Justice Coordinator, and Wellness Center Coordinator. This project is still ongoing, and the participants are holding a “Glow & Grow Gathering” event as a culmination of the project on Saturday, May 10th – RSVP if you’d like to attend and support!
“CTA really wants to provide educators access to resources to make projects come true,” said Maria Miller. “No project too small or too big! Educators have permission to dream without limits for students.”
$20,000 helped kick off a School Garden & Comprehensive Health and Wellness Program
SDEA member Emalyn Leppard got an IFT grant for Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet School’s Comprehensive Health & Wellness Program – most recently, a $20,000 grant for the 2018-19 School Year to build on previous grants. This funding helped the Health & Wellness Program grow into a thriving collaboration of parents, teachers, university students, and community partners, which is still ongoing long after the initial grant period. Funds were used for a school garden, aquaponics system, and revitalized school kitchen, so students could grow and cook healthy meals, see real-world examples from their math and science lessons, and participate in monthly Family Dinner Nights to celebrate diverse cultures through food.
See the school garden and Family Dinner Nights in action in this 2 minute video:
Today, Emalyn is “semi-retired,” but still involved in the school garden (now named after her!) as a Visiting Teacher and as a support for teachers and college interns. She’s also a garden coordinator at the Sage Garden Project, which funds and supports garden and cooking programs for elementary schools – not just as electives or after-school programs for a few students, but as comprehensive programs for every kid during the school day, run by trained (and compensated) educators. She’s a fierce advocate for school gardens for everyone, including advocating at the state level where SB 341 was recently introduced to support school gardens all over California.
“IFT grants were a game changer,” said Emalyn Leppard. “Dream big! If you’ve ever wanted to do something outside the box, this funding makes it so easy to follow that dream. You don’t have to submit requests through the District, and SDEA does all the bookkeeping so you get reimbursed quickly. I was able to pay stipends for a team, including a retired credentialed teacher to help run the program and a community member to help make connections to families who I wasn’t able to connect with on my own.”
Read CTA’s highlight of Emalyn Leppard and this project!
Follow the Montgomery Middle School Community Garden on Facebook to see the ongoing garden!
What could an IFT grant fund in your classroom or school?
What big dreams do you have for your classroom or school? Could these dreams become a reality with the support of funds from an IFT grant?
Applications are still open for Institute for Teaching (IFT) Grants to fund projects in the 2025-2026 school year. The deadline is March 31, 2025. Learn more and apply at cta.org/ift-institute-for-teaching.
Grant opportunities include:
- Environmental Education Cohort (NEW!): Up to $5,000 (Environmental Educator Grant) or $20,000 (Environmental Impact Grant) for projects focused on environmental education, plus networking opportunities and an in-person convening!
- Educator Grant: Up to $5,000 for individual educators to impact a classroom or group of students.
- Impact Grant: Up to $20,000 for teams of two or more educators (three recommended) to make an impact across multiple classrooms or school sites.
Get inspiration & support:
Not sure what this funding could look like in your school or classroom? Check out more examples of projects funded for the 2024-25 school year and the 2023-24 school year.
You can email ift@cta.org with questions, and check out the IFT website for lots more information (including an opportunity to schedule a one-on-one meeting to brainstorm with a Grant Project Coordinator!)
