The FFEE competitive grant program is designed to encourage creativity and experiential learning in the classroom, foster imaginative teaching and enhance instructional methods.
The Fund for Educational Excellence (FFEE) provides grants to full-time public school teachers serving students in grades kindergarten through 12 in any Linn County school district.
It was developed by community leaders in partnership with the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation to support educators in developing innovative and creative responses to the changing needs of their students.
Grants support hands-on, classroom or "real-world" field trip projects that bring learning to life and increase student academic achievement and are designed to encourage experiential learning, enhance student understanding and boost student achievement with respect to the curriculum standards in one of the core subject areas. Plans for evaluation of impact/outcomes are a key component.
Proposed projects may be submitted by full-time teachers or non-teaching educational specialists, counselors, library or media personnel.
Examples of programs funded in recent years include:
“Vegetable and Flower Garden”: High school students designed and built a vegetable and flower garden on the school grounds also providing opportunities for elementary students to participate. The project focused on team building, creative thinking, and collaboration.
“Magical Music”: This grant funded the purchase of music books, CD’s, instruments, and related items for an elementary music classroom to extend multicultural music learning opportunities, allow students to be actively involved in kinesthetic learning, and strengthen music concept learning with connections to other subject areas.
“Robotics Go Green Gaming”: The project provided a hands-on technology, math, and science summer enrichment program for middle school students aligned with related core standards.
“Pictorial Exploration of Our Neighborhood”: This grant funded artist fees for a collaboration with intermediate students in creating photographs as they researched key people and events that influenced their community
“Energy Audit”: This grant funded the purchase of electronic usage monitors used by high school science students as they designed and conducted investigations using the monitors to gather data. Goals and objectives for the project connect to core standards.
Grant awards range from $250 - $1,500 for individual applicants, and up to $3,000 for teams of applicants.
Applications are due each fall by email to Rochelle Naylor or in person at the GCRCF office, 3rd floor at 324 3rd St SE in downtown Cedar Rapids.
The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, through an endowed fund established by the Marshall family, provides Journalism Scholarships for students and teachers and grants for equipment.
For Equipment
Grants of up to $1,500 will be awarded to support equipment needs of either hardware or software to enhance the technical capabilities of high school journalism programs. To be eligible to apply for a Marshall Journalism Equipment Grant, the high school journalism program must meet the following criteria: - The high school must publish a student newspaper;
- The high school must support a faculty newspaper advisor and/or journalism instructor;
- The high school must be willing and able to install and securely house any equipment which purchased through a Marshall Journalism Equipment Grant;
- The high school must guarantee that any equipment purchased through a Marshall Journalism Equipment Grant will be used by students in the journalism/newspaper program.
For Students These scholarships are forhigh school students completing their sophomore or junior year to attend one of the summer 2012 workshops for journalism students at the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The tuition costs for student awardees will be paid directly to the University of Iowa by the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. To be eligible a student must: - Have worked on the school’s newspaper as a writer, editor, layout staff or photographer;
- Be open to seriously considering a career in journalism;
- Be able to attend a week-long Summer High School Journalism Student Workshop at the University of Iowa during July 2012;
- Pledge to continue working on the school newspaper during the next school year following completion of the summer workshop;
- Be an academically strong student.
For Teachers
These scholarships are for high school newspaper advisors/journalism teachers to attend one of the summer workshops for journalism teachers at the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication offered June/July 2012. The workshops yield one to three semester hours of graduate credit, as well as excellent opportunity for professional development. The tuition cost (usually for one semester hour) for teacher awardees will be paid directly to the University of Iowa by the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. Rochelle Naylor, Scholarship Coordinator The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation 324 Third Street SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 319.366.2862
Click here to access the Education grant application.
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