The Olympia School District Education Foundation (OSDEF) added a new Teaching & Learning Grant category this year specifically for projects and instructional materials that address mental health and social-emotional learning. The grant is part of the Foundation’s greater Mental Health Initiative, which also enabled the OSD Crisis Team to establish a Mental Health Resource Library this year. Details on a fall 2020 mental health training for OSD educators and a mental health event for the community, both of which will be funded by the OSDEF’s Mental Health Initiative, are forthcoming.

To apply for a Mental Health Initiative Grant, available in amounts of up to $1,500, visit the OSDEF Teaching and Learning Grants webpage. (Please note these grants cannot support professional development opportunities at this time. The OSDEF Board will explore this as a possibility for the 2020-21 school year.) Like all OSDEF Teaching & Learning Grants, the Mental Health Initiative Grant is available on a first come, first-served basis.

Questions? Contact OSDEF Executive Director Katy Johansson at (360) 596-6110 or info@osdef.org.

As a reminder, OSD staff interested in applying for grants should make sure their principal is aware of the request and that the request supports and does not supplant curriculum. If there are online elements to the grant request, please also be mindful of accessibility and confidentiality requirements.