The Olympia School District Education Foundation (OSDEF) has begun accepting Teaching & Learning Grant Requests for the 2020-21 school year and will be reviewing them on a quarterly basis. Grant Requests submitted by 5 p.m. Sept. 28 will be considered for approval in mid-October.

In recognition of the fact that educators will be teaching via a distance learning format for at least a portion of the 2020-21 school year, the OSDEF Board of Trustees will allow a limited number of Grant Requests to be approved for the purpose of professional development in 2020-21. Grant Requests for professional development: must fall within one of the current OSDEF grant categories; cover only program costs and/or materials; and cannot exceed $500.

Additionally, the Foundation remains committed to removing barriers for OSD students. To encourage more requests for programs and projects with a focus on equity, diversity and bias, the Foundation has renamed the “Building Student Character Grant” the “Cultivating Engaged Citizens Grant” and incorporated language that supports OSD Student Outcome #4. Cultivating Engaged Citizens supports: “students in their efforts to develop the skills, knowledge, and courage to identify and confront personal, systemic, and societal bias. It also supports students seeking to understand the value of community service and advocate for improvement using natural resources in an efficient and sustainable way. This includes the development and implementation of programs that address: equity, diversity and bias; civics; philanthropy; and being good stewards of the earth. Activities funded by the grant may include: assemblies; workshops; athletics; nutrition; school beautification projects; and community service projects.”

Grant deadlines, instructions and applications may all be found on the OSDEF webpage. If you received a grant last year, you must submit a Post-Grant Report prior to applying for a grant this year.