Fund for Teachers Fellowships Open for Oklahoma Teachers

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

Eufaula Middle School teacher Delicia White holds a Funds for Teachers sign as she stands amidst tropical vegetation in Costa Rica with the Arenal Volcano in the background
Eufaula Middle School teacher Delicia White visited the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica during her EcoTeach excursion in Costa Rica.
Deer Creek Middle School educator Evan Reininger stands in front of a canal in Copenhagen with colorful buildings in the background.
Deer Creek Middle School educator Evan Reininger visited Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo to learn what makes the region a world leader in sustainability.
Norman elementary school teachers Johnnie Keel, left, and Deji Dugger pose with a Fund for Teachers sign in front of the rocks of Stonehenge.
Norman elementary school teachers Johnnie Keel, left, and Deji Dugger visited Stonehenge during their time in England.