Teacher Mini Grant Awards Help Teachers & Students

The Community Foundation is excited to announce over $12,900 were awarded in Teacher Mini-Grants to help teachers start their year off with extra resources! This annual program provided 38 grants to seven schools in Oceana County – nearly doubling the number of grants from 2021. In addition, to support from the Oceana Youth Fund, the program significantly grew thanks to partnerships with several Donor Advised Funds of the Foundation including Mrs. Mullen’s Closet, Little Point Sable Arts for Oceana, Ralph’s Kids, Nobles Family Medical Reserve Corps and the Mary Ann Peterson “Grandma Pete” Memorial Fund(s).

These awards fund special project materials, curriculum expansion, equipment needs, special training, skill development, and enrichment activities. Examples of 2022 awards include alternative flexible seating for students, agriculture design programs, translation assistant programs, and even CPR training! “The Mini-Grant program connects teachers to community support, often providing additional financial resources to facilitate exciting, innovative programs,” says CFOC CEO Tammy Carey. “It is a great way to thank our educators for their tremendous impact in Oceana County.”

The Foundation’s fund advisors were able to go above and beyond for our teachers and the resources they need for their classrooms. A few highlights: Shelby Public School’s 11th-12th grade math classes will now be able to purchase graphing calculators for all students to check out thanks to Ralph’s Kids Fund, Jim’s K-8th grade science classroom at New Era Christian School will be able to purchase six light microscopes for students to use for life science through lab explorations thanks to the Oceana Youth Fund and Mrs. Mullen’s Closet Fund. The science students at New Era Christian School say, “Thanks to you, we can look at itty-bitty things at 1000x magnification!”.

To learn more about the Teacher Mini-Grant program and its recent awards, visit oceanafoundation.org/grants/teacher-mini-grants/. Questions on Teacher Mini-Grants should be directed to Hannah Naples at hannah@oceanafoundation.org or by calling the Community Foundation office at 231-869-3377.