To be considered for funding under the Small Innovative Grants Program, the proposed project must distinguish itself from the large number of high quality programs proposed to Legacy in each grant round. The program must demonstrate an element of creativity, ingenuity or innovation.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is supporting the participation of American high school students in intensive, substantive foreign language study to further strengthen national security and prosperity in the 21st century as part of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), launched by President Bush in January 2006.

Foreign language skills are essential to engaging foreign governments and peoples, especially in critical world regions, to promote understanding and convey respect for other cultures. Americans will use these skills to support the nation's foreign affairs priorities, its economic competitiveness, and its educational institutions as they prepare future citizens for full engagement in the global environment. The broad NSLI initiative focuses resources on improving language learning for U.S. citizens across the educational spectrum and emphasizes the need to achieve mastery of critical languages. NSLI-Y programs support the participation of American high school students and those who have just graduated in intensive, substantive educational exchange programs that will promote language learning, as well as engage the successor generation in a dialogue for greater understanding.

The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy is a one-week all-expense-paid intensive professional development program for third- through fifth-grade teachers. The Academy offers a five-day program designed to provide third- through fifth-grade teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to motivate students to pursue careers in science and math.

Phil and Amy Mickelson partnered with ExxonMobil to develop the Academy in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions. The Mickelsons wanted to develop a program that inspires teachers from across the country in math and science and equips them with interactive teaching tools to ignite their students' passion for these subjects. They also wanted to develop a program that helps to develop the next generation of science savvy citizens who will grow up to make the next breakthrough in medicine, in energy, or in any of the growing number of fields that require a solid foundation in math and science.

Two of the nation's leading teacher-training organizations, Math Solutions Professional Development, founded by Marilyn Burns, and the National Science Teachers Association, design the curriculum, provide instructors and manage the daily activities and logistics of the Academy.

The overarching goals of the program are to:
1. Promote better understanding by youth from selected countries about American society, people, institutions, values and culture;
2. Foster lasting personal ties;
3. Engage the exchange participants in activities that advance mutual understanding, respect for diversity, leadership skills, and understanding of civil society during their exchange in the U.S.;
4. Enhance Americans' understanding of the foreign students' countries and cultures;
5. Increase the capacity of organizations in participating countries to engage youth in activities that enhance mutual understanding, respect for diversity, leadership skills, and understanding of civil society through alumni activities

GreenWorks! grants engage PLT educators and their students with their local community in "learning-by-doing" environmental projects.  Student leadership, service-learning, and community participation are the cornerstones to GreenWorks! projects. These grassroots action projects enable schools and youth organizations across the country to make a positive impact on their communities. 

The LIVE GREEN Teacher Grant program, a Discovery Education program presented by General Motors, challenges middle school teachers to develop innovative ideas for furthering environmental and energy sustainability. Teachers will identify an issue or problem, create a plan to address it, and integrate the topic into classroom teaching.

The Founders Award recognizes youth that are making extraordinary contributions to the lives of other children.

Available Grants

Two types of grants will be offered through the Great American Bake Sale grants program:

Grants for Program Sponsors

Grants will be awarded to organizations that directly sponsor USDA-reimbursed afterschool and/or summer meal programs for children. Grants will specifically support efforts to increase participation in the organization's USDA summer and afterschool meal programs. Grant awards will range from $1,000-$10,000.

Grants for Advocacy

Grants will be awarded to organizations that work to increase participation in USDA-reimbursed afterschool and summer meal programs through outreach and advocacy. Grants will support projects designed to increase participation in afterschool and summer meal programs through advocacy. Organizations engage in advocacy when they work with schools, community organizations, local businesses, and with a range of government officials to increase participation in summer and afterschool meal programs. Grant awards will range from $1,000-$10,000.

Educational grants from Dominion and the Dominion Foundation provide elementary and secondary educators with the tools they need to revitalize math and science programs through the study of energy and the environment.

In the area of k-12 education, Dominion accepts grant applications, up to $10,000, to encourage the development of new programs to strengthen math and science education through the study of energy or the environment.

The purpose of this grant is support and encourage classroom-based research in precollege mathematics education in collaboration with college or university mathematics educators. For 2009–2010, grants with a maximum of $8,000 each will be awarded to classroom teachers* currently teaching mathematics at the grades K–12 level. The research must be a significant collaborative effort involving a college or university mathematics educator (a mathematics education researcher or a teacher of mathematics learning, teaching, or curriculum) and one or more grades K–12 classroom teachers. The proposal may include, but is not restricted to, research on the following topics:

• Curriculum development and implementation
  
• Involvement of at-risk or minority students
  
• Students’ thinking about a particular mathematics concept or set of concepts
  
• Connection of mathematics to other disciplines
  
• Focused learning and teaching of mathematics with embedded use of technology (any acquisition of equipment must support the proposed plan but not be the primary focus of the grant)
  
• Innovative assessment or evaluation strategies

(*The definition of a classroom teacher is an individual who spends half or more of his/her work time teaching in the classroom.)

Inspire the youth in your community to become the preservationists of tomorrow. Museums, historic sites, historical societies, preservation organizations, libraries, and archives are invited to partner with a local school or youth group and apply for funding to help preserve the history of their communities. Each year, The History Channel awards grants of up to $10,000 to organizations across the country that partner with schools or youth groups on community preservation projects that engage students in learning about, documenting and preserving the history of their communities.

National ersonName w:st="on">History DayersonName> is pleased to ersonName w:st="on">annersonName>ounce the 2008 Richard T. Farrell Teacher of Merit Award for innovative history teaching.  The award recognizes outstanding teachers at the state level and one exceptional history teacher at the national level who will receive a cash prize during the National ersonName w:st="on">History DayersonName> contest in June. The eight finalists for this award will also be recognized at the national level, and each will receive a PBS video library.

National History Day, in collaboration with The History Channel, is proud to announce the 9^th annual History Channel Award for Service.  The award, sponsored by The History Channel, will be presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to history education through service to the National History Day program.