Educator Grants
Every year, our educator grant program empowers teachers and staff to bring creative ideas and innovative projects to life, giving students experiences that go beyond the classroom.
Thanks to our generous donors, dozens of educators across the district each year can bring their best ideas to life. Your support puts essential tools and resources directly into the hands of educators—helping them spark curiosity, inspire learning, and create unforgettable moments for their students.
Your support today will put essential tools into the hands of teachers!
Impact Stats:
55 grants
awarded to educators
last school year
3500+ students
participated in grant-funded opportunities
22 Schools
are served by our grant program (every school in the district!)
Enrichment & Innovation Grants
Enrichment Grants are available to support needs up to $1,000.
Our annual grant program provides the means to connect students with the resources, experiences and opportunities to meet their full potential and enhance learning in our local classrooms.
Enrichment and innovation grants provide up to a $1000 in funding and are targeted at projects that can have a meaningful impact on a small group or individual classroom of students.
Big Idea Grants
BIG Idea Grants are available to support needs up to $5,000.
Successful Big Ideas Grants will impact students across multiple classrooms, whole grade levels within a school, or meaningful portions of a school community. We are particularly supportive of collaborative projects between multiple staff.
However, projects are not limited to these categories. If you have an impactful or creative project that doesn’t fit neatly into one of these categories, please apply!
Projects that will make long-term alterations to school grounds or buildings must be approved by the Director of Facilities before any award can be made.
Guidelines for Educator Grants
Applications are now open for the 2026-27 school year. Applications are due Sunday, May 31st. We will communicate award decisions in early September.
Thank you for dreaming big for our students! As you imagine new ways to spark curiosity and create joyful learning opportunities in your classroom, please keep these simple guidelines in mind:
Who Can Apply
You must be a current Bellingham Public Schools employee to be eligible for a grant.
Focus on the School Day!
Our grants are primarily designed for “bell-to-bell” learning. If your project happens outside of regular school hours, it will need to meet a higher bar to ensure every student has equal and fair access to participate.
No Student Clubs
This specific grant round is not meant for student clubs. But don’t worry! Student clubs looking for support should apply through our Think Big student club challenge coming up in the fall.
Making Room for New Ideas
We want to help as many future leaders as possible. Because we have limited resources, we cannot provide continual, year-after-year support for the same activities or field trips. If we funded a recurring project forever, we wouldn’t be able to say “yes” to new ideas! Because of this, funding is usually limited to a single year. Only the most deeply impactful ideas might be considered for two or three years of support.
Grant Types and Your Budget
We offer two types of grants to meet your vision: Enrichment & Innovation Grants (up to $1,000) and Big Idea Grants (up to $5,000). We are able to fund a much higher percentage of the smaller Enrichment & Innovation grants compared to the Big Idea grants. If you can adjust your project to fit under $1,000 without losing its magic, we highly encourage it! This is a great approach for projects with multiple parts where you might be able to trim less essential pieces.
Grants we funded in 2025-2026
Every Student Can Play: Building Movement for All
Cordata Elementary
This grant provides new, sensory-friendly soft balls for students with special needs and those participating in adapted physical education at Cordata Elementary. The previous equipment had worn out from heavy daily use, limiting safe and inclusive participation—especially for students who rely on softer, tactile materials to stay engaged and regulated.
With this grant, teachers, paraeducators, and PE staff now have reliable, durable tools to support hands-on, accessible movement activities. Students will use the new equipment for color sorting, partner tossing, strength-building, and games that boost coordination and cardiovascular fitness.
Success looks like increased confidence, joyful participation, and stronger peer interactions as every child—regardless of ability—gets to fully experience movement, play, and skill-building. This upgraded equipment helps ensure equitable access to physical education and supports the lifelong health and development of Cordata’s learners.
Lions Love Literature – A Third Grade Reading Challenge for Fun and More!
Sunnyland Elementary
Sunnyland’s 3rd Grade Reading Challenge began as a way to give younger students their own version of the beloved Yeti Reading Competition—and it quickly became a highlight of the school year. From January to April, students read from a curated list of engaging, grade-level books, talked about what they were reading, and voted for their favorites. The challenge sparked excitement for reading, encouraged kids to try new genres, and strengthened friendships as students discussed stories, read with peers, and even brought books home to share with their families.
Until now, teachers and the librarian have pieced together enough copies by borrowing from classrooms and other schools, even purchasing books with their own money. This grant will allow Sunnyland to build a permanent set of book collections for future 3rd graders—expanding the list from six titles to twelve and increasing the diversity of stories, characters, and authors represented.
With these new book sets, the 3rd Grade Reading Challenge can continue to grow, giving students more choice, more access, and more joyful reading experiences for years to come.
Creando Connections
Birchwood Elementary
Creando Connections is a new leadership and cultural empowerment program for Latino 4th and 5th graders, designed to celebrate students’ identities, build community, and strengthen confidence. Rooted in the belief that students thrive when their cultures and experiences are honored, the program provides a space where students can develop leadership skills, express themselves creatively, and feel deeply connected to their school community.
This grant supports key elements of the program, including materials for weekly lessons, equipment for a student-led podcast, and snacks for after-school meetings. These resources help create an environment where students feel safe, supported, and proud of who they are.
Many Latino students and families in the school have been directly affected by recent immigration policies, making culturally affirming spaces especially important. Through Creando Connections, students will explore their identities, build positive relationships, and engage in leadership opportunities that foster belonging. With this support, they’ll see themselves as confident, capable leaders who make a meaningful difference in their school community.
Beyond Construction Paper and Watercolor: Building Belonging and Community through the Arts
Cordata Elementary
Creando Connections is a new leadership and cultural empowerment program for Latino 4th and 5th graders, designed to celebrate students’ identities, build community, and strengthen confidence. Rooted in the belief that students thrive when their cultures and experiences are honored, the program provides a space where students can develop leadership skills, express themselves creatively, and feel deeply connected to their school community.
This grant supports key elements of the program, including materials for weekly lessons, equipment for a student-led podcast, shirts for members, uniforms for the dance group, and snacks for after-school meetings. These resources help create an environment where students feel safe, supported, and proud of who they are.
Many Latino students and families in the school have been directly affected by recent immigration policies, making culturally affirming spaces especially important. Through Creando Connections, students will explore their identities, build positive relationships, and engage in leadership opportunities that foster belonging. With this support, they’ll see themselves as confident, capable leaders who make a meaningful difference in their school community.
With [the support of BPSF] and the help of some exceptionally talented students…we are in a place where the momentum is with us. Without outside support these larger opportunities [to participate in national STEAM competitions] would not be possible.
Paul C., Career and Technical Education Teacher, Bellingham High School
