Teacher Grants Up for Grabs

Teacher Grants Up for Grabs

Santa Barbara Education Foundation
Offers More than $200,000
for Much-Needed Supplies

By Tyler Hayden | November 16, 2023

Read all of the stories in our “Schools of Thought 2023” cover here.

When public school teachers want to offer their students something above and beyond the core curriculum, they often have to pay for the supplies out of their own pockets. It’s not uncommon for them to spend $500 or $1,000 a year — or more — on materials, especially if their school’s PTA isn’t in a position to help.

That’s where the Teacher Grants program run by the Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF) comes in. Created in 2018, the program has so far awarded 304 grants totaling $475,000 to Santa Barbara Unified educators. And this year alone, thanks to a big push by SBEF to get the word out and encourage teachers to apply, the organization is on track to distribute more than $200,000.

“The community has really rallied around us,” said Programs Manager Katie Szopa, noting how California falls low on the list of per-pupil funding compared to many other states. “By supporting our teachers, we’re supporting our students.” For instance, those 304 grants directly impacted more than 12,500 students, she said. “It’s a win-win.”

Last year the funds helped purchase 3D printers and robotics kits, art supplies, gardening tools, musical instruments, field trips, yearbook cameras, special education materials, yarn for a knitting club, chess boards for a chess club, costumes and shoes for a new folklórico dance troupe, and much more.

Szopa and the SBEF encourage applicants to think big and come up with their “dream project.” The idea is to facilitate “creative and innovative” teaching in Santa Barbara Unified, she said, and give students new and different opportunities for learning beyond the day-to-day of the classroom. “There are just so many possibilities,” she said.

Earlier this year, the Foundation announced it had received a $50,000 grant from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, to fund STEM projects throughout the district. “We’re thrilled to support educators through the incredible work the Santa Barbara Education Foundation is doing to expand access to STEM education resources,” said Dr. Erik Lucero, Site Lead for the company’s Quantum AI Campus in Santa Barbara. “We hope we can play a small part in sparking the interest of the next generation of scientists, engineers, technicians, business experts, and quantum mechanics.”

Supervisor Laura Capps said she was grateful for the budding partnership. “I hope to see more collaborations like these to help nurture our youth,” she said. SBEF Executive Director Pedro Paz, said, “We are truly grateful for this extraordinary gift.”

Building off the success of the Teacher Grants program, the Foundation has also created a spin-off Students Grants program for students in grades 9 through 11, where it awards up to $500 to individual students and student groups for projects that “enrich the academic, artistic, and/or personal development” of their peers. “The goal of Students Grants is to empower high school students to identify needs on their school campuses and create solutions to solve them while also introducing them to the grant-writing process and working with nonprofits,” Szopa said. 

Szopa said she’s been encouraged by the recent boost in contributions to SBEF and hopes the outside momentum continues. Because “the stronger your community, the stronger your schools,” she said.