November 2023 - Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence

New and existing Oklahoma mentoring programs that serve students in grades K-12 can now apply for Boren Mentoring Initiative Grants from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.

The foundation offers two types of grants. Organizations and programs in their first three years of operation can apply for start-up grants of $3,000, while existing mentoring programs are eligible for $1,500 opportunity grants to help fund programming, training, materials or other needs that advance excellence in mentoring. There will be two start-up grants and six opportunity grants available for the 2024 grant cycle.

“We are so excited to be able to offer these grants to promote quality mentoring,” said Lauren Dow, manager of the Boren Mentoring Initiative. “Past grant recipients have used these funds in a variety of incredible ways, whether it’s peer-to-peer mentoring, virtual tutoring services or pairing students with community role models as mentors. We’re looking forward to seeing what innovative ideas our applicants present this year.”

To be eligible, programs must serve K-12 age children in Oklahoma. Preference is given to organizations that work in partnership with local public schools. Programs must also conduct background checks on all mentors, agree to report quantitative and qualitative outcomes, and provide proof of 501(c)3 status or proof of an agreement with a local public school district or other qualified 501(c)3 umbrella organization.

The deadline to submit applications is Jan. 15, 2024. Applications are available at OFE.org.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide nonprofit that recognizes and encourages excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. The foundation’s David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative promotes the growth and development of quality mentoring programs in Oklahoma.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma fifth- and eighth-grade teachers can apply now for fellowships to attend the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute in summer 2024 in the restored capital city of 18th-century Virginia.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence coordinates the selection of teachers from the state to participate in the renowned teacher institute.

To apply, educators can visit ofe.org. The deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 1. The fifth-grade teacher institute will take place June 2-June 7, 2024, while the eighth-grade teacher institute will be June 9-14, 2024.

The fellowships cover program activities, airfare, lodging and most meals. Each teacher also receives a $300 stipend for classroom materials.

Teachers will meet character interpreters of 18th-century people and be immersed in early American history through hands-on activities and reenactments at Colonial Williamsburg, the world’s largest living history museum. Participants will meet daily with a Master Teacher to discuss interactive teaching techniques and develop creative lesson ideas.

“It was a gift to experience Colonial Williamsburg and the surrounding areas firsthand,” said Lisa Wilkins, a middle school social studies teacher at Chickasha’s Pioneer Public School who participated in the teacher institute in 2023. “I think my students and I will most benefit from the network of other educators from around the country that shared this experience with me. It is invaluable to be able to support and connect with those teachers and share ideas that engage and improve our students’ classroom experiences.”

Oklahoma’s fifth-grade teacher institute is open to fifth-grade social studies/history teachers and resource teachers, such as school librarians or gifted-talented teachers, who plan to teach U.S. history in their schools in 2024-2025. Their sessions will focus on the daily life of colonial Virginians and the transition from subject to citizen that occurred during the Revolutionary War period.

Oklahoma eighth-grade classroom teachers who will teach U.S. history as part of their social studies curriculum can apply for fellowships to attend the program for secondary teachers. Their sessions will examine how the concept of American identity began in the colonial period and continues to evolve and transform with each generation. Through inquiry-based analysis of primary sources, teachers will explore how that identity influenced American citizens to shape and change the Republic through the 1860s.

The fellowships are available to public and private school teachers. Participants are asked to share materials, skills and experiences with fellow teachers upon their return from the institute.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a nonprofit that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools, has coordinated Oklahoma’s participation in the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute since 1993. The program is made possible through the leadership and support of the late Oklahoma City businessman Edward C. Joullian III. Joullian was an active supporter and former board member of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and a trustee of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Joullian’s family, along with a group of loyal donors, continues to support the fellowship program, which has served 946 Oklahoma teachers to date.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Applications are open for Fund for Teachers fellowships, which give Oklahoma educators who teach pre-K through 12th grade the opportunity to pursue self-designed professional learning.

Individual teachers may apply for up to $5,000, while teacher teams may apply for up to $10,000 in grant funds. Applications are online at fundforteachers.org and open until 5 p.m. Jan. 18.

Oklahoma’s 2023 recipients used their grants for a wide variety of experiences, including leading an excursion in Costa Rica to experience the country’s rainforest and ocean ecosystems, exploring fairy tales and folklore in Europe, and attending The Ron Clark Academy, a demonstration school in Atlanta with hands-on workshops.

Oklahoma’s grants are made possible through a partnership between Fund for Teachers, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and the Tulsa Community Foundation.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a nonprofit that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools.

“These fellowships provide such amazing opportunities for Oklahoma teachers,” said Elizabeth Inbody, executive director of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. “They are able to absorb the things they experience and then put that knowledge back into a classroom setting, greatly enriching their students’ learning opportunities.”

To be eligible, teachers must spend at least 50% of their time directly providing instruction to students, must be returning to the classroom in the consecutive school year, and must have at least three years’ experience teaching pre-K through 12th grade at the end of the current school year.

For more information about Fund for Teachers grants for Oklahoma teachers, visit fundforteachers.org or contact Fund for Teachers Oklahoma Program Coordinator Lauren Dow at ldow@ofe.org or 405-236-0006.

Oklahoma’s 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellowship Recipients
Kelsi Blue, Singleton Elementary School, Arkoma
Jinafer Brown, Jenks High School, Jenks
Stacey Burnette, Arkoma High School, Arkoma
Deji Dugger, Eisenhower Elementary School, Norman
Guinnevere Geyer, Roosevelt Middle School, Oklahoma City
Vanessa Gilley, Eufaula Elementary School, Eufaula
Johnnie Keel, Truman Elementary School, Norman
Jammie Kimmel, Northwood Elementary School, Piedmont
Andi Motz, Jenks West Intermediate Elementary School, Jenks
Laura Pope, Northwood Elementary School, Piedmont
Evan Reininger, Deer Creek Middle School, Deer Creek
George Spears, Arkoma High School, Arkoma
Misty Spears, Singleton Elementary School, Arkoma
Kelly Walvoord, Rose Union Elementary School, Deer Creek
Hailey Wansick, Santa Fe High School, Edmond
Jess Wells, Singleton Elementary School, Arkoma
Delicia White, Eufaula Middle School, Eufaula