Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC) is pleased to announce the 2024-25 Grants in Place Fellows Program. RSC and the selection committee will choose 17 Fellows who will work with their respective students on innovative Place-Based Education projects.
Eligibility
Eligibility for this grant is extended to rural classroom teachers who teach in school districts that are located in one of Rural Schools Collaborative's 17 Regional Hub areas. Visit this link for more information on RSC's Regional Hubs.
Rural classroom teachers from the following states and areas are eligible for the program: Alabama, the Appalachian regions of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri Ozarks, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Northern California, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
*Please note that our National Signature Project Award, offered in the spring in partnership with the National Rural Education Association, is open to ALL rural classroom teachers throughout the United States, not just regions within RSC Hub areas.
Rural Schools Collaborative values the benefits of a diverse teaching force and we strongly encourage teachers who come from historically under-represented backgrounds to apply. Teachers currently working in a rural school district will be considered for this grant opportunity. Rural schools are defined as non-urban, non-metro, or fall under one of six categories (You can confirm that your school is eligible by checking your Local Number to match 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43) in the National Center for Educational Statistics classification.
If you have a question about your district’s eligibility, please email RSC Assistant Director of Operations, Savannah Franklund, at savannah@ruralschoolscollaborative.org.
The Application
We ask that eligible applicants propose a Place-Based Education project that will be completed by the end of the 2024-25 school year. The Place-Base Education project should involve the students' better understanding & greater appreciation of their place, while addressing a community need. We anticipate selecting a cohort of dynamic and committed educators with purposeful and creative ideas.
Proposed projects should address one or more of the basic tenets of Place-Based Education. These include:
1. Local to Global Context
2. Learner-Centered
3. Inquiry-Based
4. Design Thinking
5. Community as Classroom
6. Interdisciplinary Approach
You can learn more about Place-Based learning here: https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/place-based-education
We also invite you to review past grant recipients for inspiration: https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/place-based-education/grants-in-place
Watch last year's Celebration of Learning for more inspiration: https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/stories/2024-grants-in-place-celebration-of-learning
Applications for the 2024-25 Grants in Place Fellows program must be received by Sunday, October 6, 2024.
Eligible applications must have the support of the teacher’s building administrator. Each applicant must include a short letter from their school administrator acknowledging their awareness of and support of the application. This is a non-negotiable element of the application process.
The Fellows Program
The Grants in Place Fellows program is an important facet of RSC's annual programming. We look forward to supporting our Fellows throughout the year and sharing their stories and final outcomes with people across the nation. This is a high profile program, and we are eager to support your exemplary Place-Based Education projects!
Each Fellow will receive a total award of up to $2,500 for the Place-Based project. The Fellows cohort will conclude with a virtual Celebration of Learning, culminating a final presentation of all Place-Based Education projects. The Fellows Celebration of Learning is a required aspect of the program, and will be held virtually on Friday, June 6th 2025. The convening of the fellows is an opportunity to share the results from each project, and hear from other fellows.
Please note that Fellows will have the following expectations:
•Ongoing communication and story-sharing with RSC Team;
•Participate in a mid-project cohort check in held virtually by the RSC team along with other Fellows in spring 2025;
• Work with students to implement the proposed Place-Based Education project;
• Successfully complete the proposed project;
• Present virtually on their completed project at the Fellows Celebration of Learning on June 6, 2025.
2023-24 Grants in Place Fellows or related, previously funded projects are NOT eligible for this year's program.
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Program Timeline:
Application opens September 5, 2024
Application due date October 6, 2024
Recipients notified Mid-late November 2024
Public Announcement December 2024
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We look forward to reviewing your application. Please note: The 2024-25 Fellow recipients will be contacted with a provisional award no sooner than November 15th. Once we have received all grant agreements from the grantees, we will make a public announcement on the award. Thank you for your commitment to Place-Based Education in rural communities.