The Ridgefield Education Foundation is now taking applications for its spring 2014 grant cycle. The foundation awards grants to Ridgefield Public Schools educators or education professionals in the Ridgefield community for creative, innovative or collaborative classroom projects, professional development or technology.
“Our intention is to support the Ridgefield community and leverage the untapped potential that helps move education forward,” Ridgefield Education Foundation President Avery Costigan said.
The foundation will not supplant programs or items that are traditionally funded by operating budgets. Instead, it wants to focus on the creative, innovative and collaborative aspects.
The foundation describes itself as “research and development” for the district. This way, the district can learn what works and what doesn’t before investing in a project.
The 2013 grant recipient was Elizabeth Terhaar, Scotts Ridge Middle School eighth grade science teacher, whose project was STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)-based physics lab stations.
“Having different physics stations allows students to discover how these scientific principles relate to the real world while working in a collaborative setting that allows for kinetic, challenging and student-based learning,” Ms. Terhaar said. “These skills are in demand and need to be cultivated for the future.”
The grants are voted on by the community member board of directors, which includes a Board of Education representative and Ridgefield Public Schools representatives. The process is “blind,” meaning that the board of directors will not have any identifying information such as school, organization or teacher, so that grants are awarded based on the merits of the application.
The Ridgefield Education Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, and donations are considered tax-deductible. The foundation always welcomes new team members.
Deadline for applications is Friday, March 28. For more information, email info@ridgefieldeducationfoundation.org or visit ridgefieldeducationfoundation.org.