DUE: Friday, November 14, 2025, 4:00 p.m.
The Milford Education Foundation (MEF or the Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) organization that fosters a love of learning by engaging our children with programs that focus on excellence, innovation, and creativity. The majority of the Foundation’s fundraising dollars are reinvested by awarding mini-grants to visionary educators who present the youth in our community with learning opportunities that build critical skills through innovative programming. As with previous years, we are seeking projects that will focus on areas of strategic interest to the Foundation and the Milford Public Schools while enhancing the opportunity to scale the grant awards across other classrooms over time.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants must apply online or submit copies of the completed application form, together with any supporting documentation, to the Foundation by Friday, November 14, 2025. Review of applications will occur in a timely manner after the deadline and selected projects will be reviewed by MPS administration for final approval. Successful applicants will be notified on or before January 12, 2026. Grant requests shall not exceed $1,500 and must be expended within a reasonable period of time (not to exceed 12 months), or the remainder of the grant will be returned to the Foundation. Awarded projects may be suspended at any time if the applicant fails to comply with the criteria included within this application document. MEF may request a follow-up discussion with or additional information from the applicant.
Requests may be made for consideration of materials and/or other resources in addition to those already provided by the Milford Public School District. The Foundation recognizes that many innovative ideas incorporate personal technology devices, such as tablets, that have become increasingly available within the District. Please check with your school’s media supervisor before seeking mini-grant funds for technology items. Mini Grants should not be used as a basis to request such equipment. Additionally, projects that seek funding for professional development, classroom furnishings and transportation are generally discouraged. All materials and assets purchased through the Mini-Grant process will become BOE property and do not become personal items of the applicant.
PRICING AND PROCUREMENT
All applications must follow all MBOE rules and procedures regarding ordering, reimbursement and cash handling. Awards will be administered and distributed through the Office of the Assistant Superintendent for Milford Public Schools, which will also handle procurement. The Foundation strongly urges applicants to contact MPS Purchasing in order to obtain accurate pricing of proposed materials from approved vendors prior to submission. Additionally, the District requires extended care plans on certain technology purchases, a cost that must be budgeted in your proposal. Please allow ample time for pricing quotes in advance of the application deadline.
Purchasing Contacts:
Judith Berard jberard@milforded.org
Matthew Cavallaro mcavallaro@milforded.org
2025-2026 Process Timeline
October 14, 2025
Application Window Opens
November 14, 2025
Application Window Closes at 4pm
December 1 - December 19, 2025
Initial Review of Project Proposals
December 19, 2025
Application Decisions Finalized
January 12, 2026
Notification of Educator Awards
May 15, 2026
Project Status Updates Due by 4pm
The Foundation may request that all grant awardees attend a breakfast in their honor where they will present information about their completed mini-grant to other educators, Foundation sponsors and supporters, and members of the community.
All grant recipients will also be required to share news of the grant with their student/parent mailing lists (and cc dvolain@milfordedfoundation.org) no later than May 15 with the following language:
The Milford Education Foundation and Milford Public Schools would like you to know that your child’s classroom is the recipient of a Milford Education Foundation (MEF) teacher mini-grant. Since 2013, MEF has granted over $75,000 to teachers in our community to fund innovative educational experiences and pilot programs that would not otherwise be available to Milford Public School students. MEF is continually looking for volunteers and donors to keep our programs running. If you are interested in learning more about our programming, please visit our website at www.milfordedfoundation.org or contact us at info@milfordedfoundation.org. Please also consider supporting MEF during our fundraising efforts such as the Great Give and in person fundraising events around Milford so that we can keep our programs, including teacher mini-grants, running for the benefit of the Milford community and its students.
Your child’s classroom mini grant is…[teacher to provide grant specific description of their mini-grant project.]