Seeds to Succeed: More than $110,000 in Grants Support Innovative Projects

Projects range from $10,000 for STEM professional development to $250 to purchase dual-language materials

The Austin Ed Fund will host a reception on June 6 at Google offices downtown honoring teachers from 23 different campuses who won innovative grants from Austin Ed Fund—totaling $110,615—to turn their projects from idea into reality.

Projects focused on whole child every child, literacy and science technology, engineering and math. Grants are made possible by community contributions.

The following schools received grants:

  • Anderson High School received $5,000 to train staff further in social and emotional learning.

  • Andrews Elementary School received $1,960 to help students combat sensory overload.

  • Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders received:

      • $950 to implement a PALS Puppet Theatre,

      • $3,110 for its media technology pathway, including to purchase quality cameras and equipment; and

      • $3,570 for a project for the students to create a fictional sustainable colony on another planet.

  • Austin High School received $1,900 for flexible seating.

  • Austin ISD Alternative Learning Center received $10,000 to offer CTE courses via OdysseyWare.

  • Austin ISD Science Department received $10,000 for professional development in science, technology and math.

  • Baldwin Elementary School received $1,800 to implement a Sphero Robotics project.

  • Bedichek Middle School received $2,000 to provide kits that will make math more entertaining.

  • Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy received $7,250 for an after-school club focused on fashion design.

  • Blazier Elementary School received $250 for an SEL Read Aloud Project for dual-language.

  • Boone Elementary School received $3,050 to provide teachers with strategies to incorporate musical activities in the classroom.

  • Bowie High School received $10,000 for robotics kits, equipment and curriculum to support science, technology and math.

  • Brentwood Elementary School received $8,000 for 100 Kindle Fires.

  • Casey Elementary School received

      • $2,000 for a Read and Create! library media center,

      • $2,320 for resources to support sensory processing; and

      • $6,550 for a makerspace learning lab.

  • Cook Elementary School received $1,365 for Code Me a Story, which blends storytelling with coding and robotics.

  • Crockett Early College High School received $1,830 for a science fair and biotechnology lab.

  • Eastside Memorial High School received $4,770 for life skills students to visit NASA.

  • Guerrero Thompson Elementary School received $4,000 to bring Story Wranglers, a theater writing program by the Paramount, to its campus.

  • Gullett Elementary School received $700 for its Gecko Weekly NewsCast.

  • Palm Elementary School received

    • $2,000 to allow students to blend art and science in project-based learning, and

    • $2,000 to support their Junior Botball Challenge.

  • Pillow Elementary School received $2,000 to create a makerspace.

  • Reagan Early College High School received $1,600 for an automated light show with Raspberry Pi.

  • Walnut Creek Elementary School received $4,140 to create podcasts.

  • Winn Elementary School received $6,500 to train teachers further in cultivating welcoming classrooms.

For more information about innovation grants, please visit www.austinedfund.org/guidelines-2.

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About Austin Ed Fund

The Austin Ed Fund is Austin ISD’s public education foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization that supports AISD students and teachers. The Austin Ed Fund is a hub for private investment in AISD, supporting innovative work in the classroom and throughout the district. The Austin Ed Fund’s teacher grant programs are growing—awarding more than $450,000 to-date to projects that support innovative classroom practices and educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged students.