The foundation’s grants provide opportunities for teachers, education support professionals, and higher-education faculty and staff to engage in high-quality professional development and lead their colleagues in professional growth. Grants also fund project-based learning and break-the-mold innovations that significantly improve achievement for underserved students. Grants support public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for learning and leadership or innovation.

To support educators with their ongoing professional development and to champion the integration of visual learning into the curriculum, Inspiration Software is offering its eighth annual Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning. Inspiration Software is committed to helping educators use graphic organizers and other visual learning tools to help students develop strong thinking and organizational skills and improve their academic performance. For 2006, the company is offering two types of scholarships: 25 Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning, or $750 scholarships to educators who demonstrate an understanding of visual learning and a commitment to the integration of visual learning techniques into the curriculum; and five Inspired Teacher Scholarship Rookie Awards for Visual Learning, or $750 scholarships to educators just starting out in the area of visual learning, but ready to learn more. To be eligible for a Rookie Award, candidates must be new to visual learning and demonstrate a desire and capacity to learn and apply visual learning principles in the classroom.

Applicants must submit a written proposal explaining how the summer fellowship will make them a better teacher and how the applicant’s improved skills or capacity will be implemented in the classroom, benefiting students, curricula, and school. In addition, applicants should supply information as to how they will document experiences and describe in narrative form their proposed fellowship budget.

These grants are for youth (ages 5-14), teachers, or the organizations that engage them, to implement service projects on National and Global Youth Service Day, April 21-23, 2006. Applicants will be expected to develop a service plan that responds to a need in their community. Projects should be age-appropriate and address the concerns, skills, and level of understanding of the youth. The grant program encourages projects where children and youth work together with adults, but projects should be youth-led.

This award is designed to recognize K-12 educators who have made extraordinary science-teaching contributions and who have had a significant impact on the lives of their students.

The HP Technology for Teaching Grant Initiative is designed to support the innovative use of mobile technology in education and to help identify K-12 public schools that HP might support with future grants. HP will award grants to schools that are using a collaborative, team-based approach to implementing technology integration projects.

The Coming Up Taller Awards recognize and support outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America’s young people, giving them learning opportunities and chances to contribute to their communities. These awards focus national attention on exemplary programs that are fostering the creative and intellectual development of America’s children and youth through education and practical experience in the arts and the humanities. Accompanied by a cash award, the Coming Up Taller Awards not only reward these projects with recognition but also contribute support to their continued work.