The Jacksonville Public Education Fund and the Community First Cares Foundation launched an expanded classroom grant program in 2021 to provide $50,000 in grants to support critical work for students during a challenging new school year. The partnership is the largest grant program of its kind for both organizations, who have worked together on several similar grant programs in the past few years. 

Teachers who work in Title I traditional and charter public schools in Duval County were eligible to apply for funds to support creative problem-solving projects that can create a warm, loving environment for students and drive student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the last few years, the Clay Education Foundation has made it a priority to give our students the tools and resources they need to be successful whether they choose college, military, or career. Through the Grants for Great Ideas program, the CEF awards more than $40,000 a year in innovative classroom grants to teachers to purchase those supplies they need in order to make this a reality. This year, educators were eligible to apply to our Grants program for projects focusing on STEM, arts, and literacy. Projects included bringing coding and robotics to first graders to expanding STEAM centers in many of our school media centers.

Community First Cares Foundation, along with other generous community partners, were able to fund not only the Grants for Great Ideas program, but programs to build classroom libraries and support numerous hands-on STEM activities like school gardens and robotics clubs.