News

The North Central Education Foundation (NCEF) Board is excited to announce they have partnered with community organizations to present 2023 NCEF Teacher Classroom Grant awards to 193 teachers in Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan Counties, the most ever in its 14-year history.

The grant awards were made possible because of the generous donations of organizations, businesses and individuals who have acknowledged the challenges teachers have faced in recent years. NCEF has a passion for helping teachers with their needs and has made a priority of offering grant opportunities for a variety of classroom activities, because we know that teachers often spend money from their own pockets to offer learning enhancements to pique the interest of their students. We are so inspired by teachers in our region who are determined to continue teaching, despite all the challenges of the past few years – and many students who are impacted by social and emotional needs. We are very pleased to offer NCEF Teacher Classroom grants so teachers can continue to provide creative and innovative projects to engage their students in learning

During this 14th year of teacher grant awards, 193 teachers from four counties were presented with grant awards in the categories of:

• Cultural Awareness funded by Washington Association of Grant Managers, Wenatchee Rotary and Waterville Shockers Booster Club
• Financial Education funded by the Consumer Jungle
• Social Studies/Geology/Environmental funded by Friends of Lower Grand Coulee (FLGC)
• Wellness/Social Emotional/Health, funded by Confluence Health/Community Foundation of NCW Community Partnership Grant, Lake Chelan Rotary, Quincy Rotary, Wenatchee Rotary and individual adoptions
• Literacy funded by Badger Mountain Lodge, Waterville Lions Club and individual adoptions
• Music/Arts provided by Woods Family Music & Arts Fund, Badger Mountain Lodge, Wenatchee Rotary and individual adoptions
• STEAM/STEM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) provided by North Cascades Bank, Lake Chelan Rotary, Quincy Rotary, Badger Mountain Lodge, Wenatchee Rotary and individual adoptions.

For the first time, in 2023, NCEF funded “collaborative” grants, including two or more teachers in each grant project. 27 of these collaborative grants were awarded. We are very pleased that teachers are combining their resources to enhance their teaching. We regret that 70 of the grant applications were not funded because of lack of resources, but the good news is these unfunded applications are available for “adoption.”

“I believe adopting a teacher grant is a wonderful and cost-effective way to support our region’s students and schools in a more personal manner, by connecting with a specific teacher and grant request.” said NCEF Board member Jeff Kimbell.

We are also pleased to announce that teachers in 23 out of the 29 school districts included in the North Central ESD region (Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties), as well as private and charter schools, received grant awards this year.

The Foundation is working hard to make a difference in the future of the children in the North Central ESD region by providing teachers with opportunities to enrich their classroom environments. This is due to the generosity of organizations like North Cascades Bank, North Central ESD, Woods Family Music & Arts Fund, Confluence Health, Community Foundation of NCW, Friends of Lower Grand Coulee, Consumer Jungle, Wenatchee Rotary, WA Association of Education Grant Managers, Lake Chelan Rotary, Waterville Shockers Club, Badger Mountain Lodge, Quincy Rotary, 9/11 Spirit of America, Corderman Hills JV, East Wenatchee Rotary, Waterville Lions Club, Clear Risk Solutions, PlanMember Services, and generous NCEF and NCESD board members, ESD staff and community members who also donated to the fund.

Written by Eldene Wall, North Central Education Foundation Liaison