Alumni Strategic Opportunity Grants

Now accepting LOIs for 2024-25.

The purpose of this grant is to sustain and grow the work of the alumni by creating professional learning communities and promoting effective teaching practices within and across Cotsen schools. Projects should cultivate a collaborative culture and be focused on learning and results. Projects should be sustainable over time and promote teaching practices that are embedded in the daily work of teaching.

We offer up to $10,000 for an individual school. The principal must be directly involved from each school with at least half the staff from each school participating or either all upper grades or all lower grades. Grant funds may be used to obtain release time for classroom observations or workshops, strategic planning, books for professional study, and materials and resources.

Grant funds are not eligible to provide stipends for participants, except for those paid for planning and/or facilitating the group. During the year, the foundation will make site visits and follow up with the leadership team or main contact for the grant.

Alumni Study Grants

Now accepting LOIs for 2024-25.

The purpose of this grant is to support ongoing teacher collaboration while improving student learning. We offer up to $750 per participant with a minimum of three and a recommended maximum of fifteen participants. Eligible applicant groups may be formed within or across schools in a district and are encouraged to include non-Cotsen teachers. The main contact for the grant must be an eligible Cotsen alumnus. More than one group of alumni may apply from one school. Current fellows and mentors in the ART of TEACHING are not eligible to participate.

Funds may be used for release time for classroom observations or workshops, books and materials for professional reading, and classroom materials related to the group study; funds cannot be solely used for materials. Grant funds are not eligible to provide stipends or refreshments for participants. Groups must meet for study at least three times during the school year and provide a schedule of meeting days to the foundation within one month of the grant’s approval.

Family Engagement Grants

Now accepting LOIs for 2024-25.

The Family Engagement Grant aims to help families and caregivers better understand the classroom curriculum and learn ways to actively support their children’s educational needs at home. The grant also provides opportunities for fellows and mentors to cultivate and sustain successful home-school partnerships with families through high-impact strategies that are collaborative, culturally competent, and focused on improving children’s academic and social-emotional development. 

We offer individual classroom project grants up to $750 and school project grants up to $2,000. Projects should be sustainable over time and promote parent and family engagement activities that develop teacher, parent and family relationships to create engagement that supports student achievement.

The following resources introduce Family Engagement and offer ways to help you design your Family Engagement Grant project. The resources explain the difference between involvement and engagement, share effective family engagement strategies, and provide videos on creating strong connections between schools and families beyond traditional events and activities.

• “Dual Capacity.” Dual Capacity, www.dualcapacity.org/.
• Dugan, Jamila. “Co-Constructing Family Engagement.” ASCD, 29 Aug. 2022, ascd.org/el/articles/co-constructing-family-engagement.
• Ferlazzo, Larry. “Involvement or Engagement?” ASCD, 1 May 2011, ascd.org/el/articles/involvement-or-engagement.
• Flamboyan Foundation. “How Families Contribute to Classroom Learning.” YouTube, 2024, youtu.be/WsZaOBmIdYI?si=YBlqIXAWjKSZFcmi&t=3.
• Harvard Graduate School of Education. “Linking Family Engagement to Learning: Karen Mapp’s ’8 for 8’.” YouTube, 9 Oct. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDPY1t8E6Cg.

Both current fellows and mentors in the ART of TEACHING and alumni are eligible to participate. Individual classroom and school project grant funds may be used to provide meeting materials, refreshments, books, and limited additional items directly related to the grant plan. School project grant funds may also be used to pay for expert consultants planning and/or facilitating school events and must involve the school principal, at least half the staff from the school, or either all upper grades or all lower grades.  Grant funds are not eligible to provide stipends for participants.

All reimbursement will occur once the expense reimbursement form and receipts have been received and will be paid directly to the individual. Please submit the reimbursement form and receipts electronically to Tyler Sanders at tsanders@cotsen.org. If necessary, grant funds may be paid directly to the school or district.

Alumni Conference Grants

Cotsen Foundation Travel Policy

The purpose of this grant is to provide support to alumni mentors and fellows attending professional development to further the work started during the ART of TEACHING. The amount offered varies depending on the conference or institute. Current fellows and mentors are not eligible to participate. Funds are used for reimbursement to cover the cost of registration and/or travel, which includes airfare and/or accommodation the night before the conference through the last day of the conference. Grant funds may not be used to reimburse per diem expenses such as mileage, ground transportation, and meals. All reimbursements will occur once expense reimbursement form and receipts have been received and will be paid directly to the individual, not the school/district. The maximum reimbursement allowed is based on attending the full conference, partial attendance may reduce the amount offered. Within three weeks after your event, please submit the reimbursement form and receipts electronically to Tyler Sanders at tsanders@cotsen.org.

Alumni Classroom Library Grant

The purpose of this grant is to support the steady growth as well as the natural attrition of classroom libraries. Projects should be focused on cultivating a classroom library that supports student identity and interest.

We offer up to $500 per grant and there will be a total of 100 grants awarded. Alumni must be classroom teachers; current fellows and mentors are not eligible to participate. Grant funds may not be used for guided reading text sets or library organization materials such as bins and shelves.

All reimbursement will occur once the expense reimbursement form and receipts have been received and will be paid directly to the individual, not the school/district. Please submit the reimbursement form and receipts electronically to Tyler Sanders at tsanders@cotsen.org.

Teaching & Learning Tools Grant

The purpose of this grant is to support the teaching teachers utilize to develop curriculum that is responsive to their students as well as the learning tools students use to navigate the curriculum. Projects should be focused on materials that will enhance learning for students. 

We offer up to $500 per grant. Alumni must be classroom teachers or consistently work with a dedicated group of students; current fellows and mentors are not eligible to participate. Grant funds may not be used for materials that are consumable or for organization materials such as bins and shelves. 

All reimbursements will occur once the expense reimbursement form and receipts have been received and will be paid directly to the individual, not the school/district. Please submit the reimbursement form and receipts electronically to Tyler Sanders at tsanders@cotsen.org