Imagine if kids everywhere could discover what life is like for their peers across the globe… Spark Empathy Grants can help make that possible for your students.
Whether your classrooms need new technology, your teachers are looking for an innovative professional development workshop, or you’re hoping to integrate more social-emotional learning into your curriculum, Empatico’s Spark Empathy Grants offer between $1,500 and $10,000 (or more) to help make that happen.
Empatico will provide grants to U.S.-based schools, districts, or after school programs in order to amplify their efforts to spread empathy and kindness. We are looking for grantees who share our commitment to and enthusiasm for developing students’ social and emotional learning through virtual exchanges with peers across the U.S. and around the world. Spark Empathy Grants are flexible and customizable.
Apply for your Spark Empathy Grant by April 26th: https://spark.adobe.com/page/LsjX1cG7NdGlY/
What do you get?
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- Up to $10,000 (or more depending on the number of participating educators) in grant funding to implement Empatico with a group of educators in your school, school network, district, after school program, or camp
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- Professional development opportunities and resources (virtual and in-person)
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- The opportunity to participate in Empatico’s evaluation studies (participants will receive the results of the study)
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- Additional grant funding for grantees who average 5 or more exchanges per classroom/group
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- After the grant period, priority access to additional Empatico fellowships and learning opportunities
- Amplification of grantees’ stories through social media and other media outlets
Raise your hand if you want to apply for the Spark Empathy Grant!
Are you eligible?
All U.S.-based districts, networks of schools, individual schools, and before/after school programming groups with 6-11 year olds (grades K-5) who can implement the grant between August 2019 and June 2020 are eligible to apply. Grant funds are awarded based on the number of educators participating in the initiative.
Who can apply for this grant?
You must be a leader or a cohort of leaders (e.g. superintendent, principal, assistant principal, technology coach, etc.) within a district, individual school, or program working with students ages 6-11 (grades K-5) in the United States.
What can you use the grant funds for?
Have you been dreaming of an innovative way to spark kindness and empathy among your students and educators? Perhaps you’re hoping to kickstart a joint community service project with your Empatico partner classrooms or fund a professional development workshop to bridge SEL and STEM in the classroom?
Spark Empathy Grants are flexible, customizable, and meant to address your network’s specific needs.
Examples include:
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- Technology needed to participate in Empatico
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- Professional development to support the implementation of Empatico
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- Stipends for grant leads (fiscal/school community leads)
- Funds for classrooms and broader initiatives (e.g. funds to purchase kindness-related books for each grade level and starting a Kindness Book Club)
For more inspiration, check out this recent article from the Philadelphia Inquirer, ‘How do you celebrate Day of the Dead’ and other questions NJ classroom asks kids around the world, on how Kathi Kersznowski, a technology integration specialist in Washington Township, New Jersey, successfully rolled out Empatico at the district level.
What do grantees have to commit to?
If you receive the Spark Empathy Grant, you will be asked to:
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- Submit a completed application
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- Create an implementation plan and designate implementation and fiscal leads to assist with coordination and execution of the grant
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- Participate in implementation meetings with the Empatico team prior to the 2019-2020 academic year
- Facilitate at least 4 Empatico exchanges per participating classroom/group during the grant period
When do you receive the money?
Grantees will receive 50% of the grant funds once all eligible teachers have set up their Empatico accounts.
The remaining grant funds will be released after the participating classrooms/groups have completed the total requisite exchanges on the Empatico platform.
Application Timeline:
Get your application in by Friday, April 26th, 2019! We will reach out to you with our decision by Wednesday, May 8th, 2019.
If you are interested in applying, but have questions, please submit the quick form below. A member of the Empatico Team will be in touch soon.
