Application Guidelines

Part Three: 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 form, 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.

Your proposal may be reviewed by a committee in a geographic region other than your own. When describing where you teach it is permissible to acknowledge your city and state.

Applicant coversheet and identifying information is removed prior to the selection process. Please refrain from using your name, your school or district names within your proposal to ensure an anonymous selection process.

Often, foundations want to know more about who we serve. The survey questions on your coversheet are for that purpose only and are in no way used in our selection process.

Applicants will be notified of the selection committee results on April 3, 2025, by email.

Applicant Eligibility

Do you meet each of the following eligibility requirements?

  • A full-time preK-12th grade teacher, curriculum specialist, curriculum head, Special Education coordinator, media specialist/librarian, or other type of educator who spends at least 50% of your time directly teaching students;
  • Returning to the classroom in the consecutive school year;
  • Will have at least three years’ experience as a preK-12th grade teacher at the end of the school year; and
  • Have not received a Fund for Teachers grant award in the past five years.
  • I understand that FFT grant proposals must be written by the applicant(s) and not my school administration or any other third party.

Not Eligibile

Thank you for your interest in Fund for Teachers. Based on the information provided, you do not meet our eligibility requirements. Each applicant, including members of a team, must meet each eligibility requirement. If you have questions regarding specific eligibility questions, please contact FFT at info@fundforteachers.org or 1-800-681-2667.

Project Eligibility

Does your proposed Fund for Teachers grant proposal include any of the following?

  • Student travel
  • The completion of baccalaureate or post baccalaureate degrees, including:
    • Courses for graduate credit
    • University College or Credit Hours*
  • Onsite (or campus) professional development at your school or by the district
  • Compensation for substitutes
  • Stipend
  • No learning experience: All monies will go toward classroom supplies, such as books, technology, or other materials.

* University courses, such as teacher professional development trips/programs are an allowable fellowship type. However, if the choice is given to pay for credit hours toward a degree that portion of the cost will be at the expense of the Fellow. If the credit hours are included, and non-negotiable they are permitted, so long as the applicant is not using these hours to complete a baccalaureate degree.

Not Eligibile

Thank you for your interest in Fund for Teachers. Based on the information provided, your project may not meet our eligibility requirements. Fund for Teachers fellowships cannot include funding for the following: Student travel, stipends, baccalaureate course work, substitutes, onsite or campus professional development and materials-only based grants.

If you feel this is in error or have questions regarding specific eligibility questions, please contact FFT at info@fundforteachers.org or 1-800-681-2667.