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SPARK! Creative Learning Grants

If you’re an educator with an idea for a classroom project, we can’t wait to hear about it.

See 2023 Grant Recipients See Eligibility Requirements

When teachers bring passion to the classroom, magic happens

Students come together on projects that excite curiosity, deepen understanding, and encourage new ways of seeing. Lack of funding should never get in the way of projects like these. That’s why we award grants of up to $1,000 to K-12 educators. We love projects that spark something new and want to see proposals for helping kids create and teachers innovate.

The 2023 application period has closed. The next application period will be open from August 15 through September 30, 2024. 

SPARK! Spotlight: Martha Dyer

Every year, we hear of the magic brought into classrooms by SPARK! grant recipients. Martha Dyer’s project is no exception! Our team sat down with Martha, a 2022-23 SPARK! grant recipient in Eugene, to learn about “Replacing 15-Year Old Moldies.” For this project, she upgraded well-loved nonfiction books to new, engaging books in her elementary school, complete with a “book-tasting” reveal. Hear more from Martha in this video!

SPARK! Spotlight: Judy Tacchini

A motivated group of students came together to write and publish an entire book in this amazing project! Hear more from Judy Tacchini, a 2021-22 SPARK! grant recipient in Eugene, as she walks through the concept of the idea to the culmination of handing out the published book to her students. Her video, spotlighting her classroom project “Preserving the Narrative,” is worth watching!

Eligibility

Grants are open to all K–12 educators at schools in the 27 Oregon counties SELCO serves.

Before you apply

  • The most memorable projects will stick with students for years to come. Tell us how yours will make a long-lasting impact.
  • We want our funding to have a major effect on your project. If it will cost more than $1,000, please tell us the source of the remaining funds. (In rare instances, we may provide additional funds if they would support project longevity.)
  • We’ll pay for equipment and supplies, such as iPads, calculators, or art materials, but only if they’re part of a larger project. Please be specific.
  • Funds cannot be used to pay for food, prizes, field trips, or salaries.
  • Don’t forget to keep your principal in the loop by getting their approval of the project prior to submission, then sharing a copy of your proposal.

Scoring criteria

Preference will be given to projects that demonstrate creativity and innovation in the classroom. We review each application with an eye to the following:

  • Project creativity and originality: Does this project approach a lesson in a unique or interesting way? Is this project something that will create a lasting memory for students?
  • Proposal clarity: Is it clear what the project hopes to accomplish and how it will reach students? Is the program budget well defined?
  • Number of students affected: How many students will benefit? Will this project run for multiple years?
  • Potential to develop a targeted skill: Does the project aim to develop or deepen a specific skill or set of skills? Are the goals and scope clearly defined and achievable? 
  • Supporting impact and diversity: How many students will benefit from this program in the grant year? Will this program run for multiple years? 

Questions

Email us at spark@selco.org.

Meet Past Recipients

Interested in past projects? Check out past SPARK! Creative Learning Grant recipients: