Grants

  • IPEI makes several types of grant funding available to ICSD’s teachers, staff, students and school building leaders. 

    Specific grants have specific criteria- see below for information pertaining to each grant. 

  • Connecting Classroom Grants

    Learn More

    Connecting Classrooms Grants are designed to encourage collaboration and innovation within the Ithaca City School District by developing projects that will have a positive impact on students and actively engage students.

    Applicants must be ICSD teachers or staff members, including principals and administrators.

  • Red and Gold Grants

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    Red and Gold Grants are one-time awards of up to $500 to ICSD teachers, staff, students or community members for projects, programs or performances that strengthen and enrich school’s curriculum.

    In light of current inflation and other economic challenges, Red and Gold grants requested by March 16, 2022, can now receive funding up to $750.   

  • Teacher Grants

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    Teacher Grants program provides funding up to $1,500 to ICSD teachers interested in implementing an innovative educational project, program or performance designed in collaboration with at least one community partner.

    In light of current inflation and other economic challenges, Teacher grants requested by March 16, 2022, can now receive funding up to $1750.   

  • Grants funded: 2021-22

  • Red and Gold grants

    Yay Ukulele!

    Leslie Kurzweil, Cayuga Heights Elementary School

    Students will learn basic chords, strumming patterns, and simple songs on the ukulele.

     

    Water Justice

    Stephen Anderson, Beverly J Martin Elementary School

    Our district continues to import water jugs every week into schools. My students will test the water coming from the pipes and in local streams to determine levels of lead in the water and make a recommendation to the board of education as to the continued use of water jugs in our buildings.

     

    Kindness Rocks at IHS

    Marie Sadusky Ithaca High School

    The Yoga & Self Care for Every Body (Physical Education) students will design rocks with kind messages and either hide their rocks around campus or place their rocks in the IHS rock garden to help spread kindness around Ithaca High School to both students and staff.

     

    Missing COVID Rockets!

    Spencer Hill Cayuga Heights Elementary School

    Our current 4th & 5th graders missed Rocket building and launching at CHES due to COVID and we want to get them caught up, one year at a time.

     

    Science Olympiad Registration Fees

    Matthew Fellman Ithaca High School

    Our Registration Fees for competitions are increasing every year as our team grows and succeeds.


    The Girl Who Swallowed A Cactus- Syracuse Stage ( Virtual)

    Maureen Gilroy Fall Creek Elementary School

    A virtual performance by the Syracuse Stage draws on elements of traditional storytelling and explores themes of courage, friendship, and environmental preservation.
    Contemplative mural space Michelle Harty Fall Creek Elementary School We are creating a quiet contemplative space to install a mural created by incarcerated youth which commemorates black men and women murdered by police.


    A taste of Spain

    Claudia Miettunen Ithaca High School

    Walking field trip to La Bodega in Dewitt Mall

     

    Kinder Yogis

    Jessica Custer-Bindel Beverly J Martin Elementary School

    Kinder Yogis is a mindful based yoga program that aligns with social emotional learning.

     

    Edison Robots for our Elementary Engineers

    Megan Hulburt Northeast Elementary School

    "Our project will give our elementary school students the ability to engineer solutions like real robotics engineers with Edison robots that are simple enough for students to work with independently but versatile enough that our students will be able to really engineer robots with lego attachments and coding to “help humans” just like career robotics engineers!"

     

     

    Independent Music Production.

    Harry Nichols. Dewitt Middle School

    Using online tools to foster student creativity through music production

    I currently run an indie music production club at school. Students in the club write and record original music using the technology provided by the district, and materials that I have supplied. The club will use this grant money to purchase Melodyne, an application to help produce their music, turning rough demos into professional-sounding products.

     

    3d Printer for our Elementary Innovations.

    Megan Hulburt. Northeast Elementary School

    Northeast’s  4th and 5th-grade students are learning to engineer 3-dimensional creations with Tinker Cad.  With our own 3D printers, our students will be able to bring their designs from a model on a screen to a creation they can hold in their hands!

  • Teacher Grants

    Caroline Rides- Caroline Bike Trail and Bicycle Riding Development Program

    Samuel Trechter Caroline Elementary School

    Continuing to build out the Caroline Bike program by increasing our fleet of bicycles and significantly building out our rough draft dirt trail with the addition of dirt berms, rollers, and other low-level challenges appropriate for beginning and intermediate young bicycle riders.

     

    Capoeria: (part 2)

    Stephanie Colombo Enfield Elementary

    In its second and third years, this project will focus on the cultural and musical aspects of the art form. More attention will be paid to the finer details of style in the movements, player interactions, rituals and customs. Instruments will be provided to the school so children can participate in the Batteria. Gourd seeds and trees will be purchased and the ground of the “Enfield Vines” location as well as the forest will be worked to curate a capoeira garden for the creation of Birumbao’s in the third year of this project (and beyond). Another goal for the third year included in this project will be teaching the upkeep of the type of gourd used for the musical instrument and responsible forest management for the trees/boughs harvested for the stick of the instrument.

     

    Art-A Cultural Dig into the World through Artifacts & Storytelling

    Taura McMeekin Enfield Elementary

    Through yearlong partnerships with National Geographic’s Explorer/Educator Project, Cornell’s Archaeology Department, The Museum of the Earth & the Johnson Museum of Art students will design a Student-Led hands-on Geography of the Soul Community Festival on Friday, June 10th, 2022 highlighting a cultural dig into the world of artifacts and stories of identity from both near & far.

     

    Storytelling Project.

    Kathryn Arnold. Northeast Elementary. Community Partner – Regi Carpenter

    Students attending remote classes will create and present an original story. We expect that using the tradition of storytelling, students will be able to improve their social connections, begin to define their identity, and develop kindness and compassion for others. Our classrooms are participating in remote learning. We are looking for opportunities for students to overcome the challenges of isolation and distance through building bridges with storytelling.

     

    3rd Grade Mural.

    Marlena Doerr. Cayuga Heights Elementary. Community Partner – Hugo Medina

    "All students in 3rd grade will work collaboratively with Teaching-Artist, Hugo Medina, to 

    learn about murals, develop a mural concept, and paint a mural in a Cayuga Heights stairwell.

     

    BSES Social Justice Mural.

    Ashley Paolangeli. Belle Sherman Elementary. Community Partner – Ithaca Murals

    As part of their study of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the Belle Sherman 

    5th graders, in collaboration with a professional muralist, will work to bring a mural to the 1,135 sq ft Belle Sherman Annex wall that will highlight the core values and motivations of the school and its surrounding community. 

     

    6th Grade Joyshop. Nicole Dauria.

    Boynton Middle School. Community Partners – Elboner Stevenson and Kenneth McLaurin

    As part of an entire week of events and explorations for students, we are bringing in Elbonee Stevenson and Kenneth McLaren, the local duo, for interactive performances/workshops for 6th-grade students.

  • Grants Committee Members

    Our grants process would not be possible without the thoughtful dedication of these individuals.
    Joyce Putnam, Chair
    Marge Brodhead
    Ann Caren
    Millicent Clarke-Maynard
    Linda Duttweiler
    Jennifer Engel
    Walaa Maharem-Horan
    Cheryl Mitchell
    Kathleen O’Neill
    Andrea Volkmar
    Deborah Whitehead
    Mary Grover & Lily Talcott, ICSD Admin Reps.
    Adam Piasecki, ITA Rep.

    Want to join? 

    Are you interested in being a part of our Grants committee? Email Grants@ipei.org to learn more! 

  • Situational Grants

    Thank you for your interest in our Situational Grants.

    We are NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS at this time 

    Questions? email ipei@ipei.org

    In keeping with our mission to connect our classrooms to the community and support teacher ideas, IPEI has created a special grant round to support our teachers and ICSD professionals during the current social-distancing and distance learning events occurring as a result of COVID-19.

    This funding will be made available to support the efforts of ICSD employees and benefits students who are
    participating in distance-learning programs. These grants will only be made available during a time period while ICSD schools are practicing remote
    learning.

    Learn More

  • Grants Archives

    Lists of past recipients of Teacher Grants, Red and Gold Grants, Connecting Classrooms Grants, and Community Collaboration Grants are organized by school years.

    Learn More

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Ithaca Public Education Initiative
P.O. Box 4268 Ithaca, NY 14852
Phone: 607-256-4734


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