Grants for Educators: Eligibility Requirements and Opportunities

Educators seeking financial assistance to further their education or address teacher shortages have access to various grant programs. These grants, offered by state and federal entities, come with their own eligibility requirements. This article explores the eligibility criteria for several grants and scholarships aimed at educators, including those in Washington State and those seeking TEACH Grants.

General Eligibility for Grants

Before diving into specific programs, it's crucial to understand the general eligibility landscape for grant applications. The first step is identifying whether you are applying as an individual or on behalf of an organization. Most funding opportunities listed on Grants.gov are geared toward organizations rather than individuals. Individual people may submit applications for a funding opportunity on their own behalf (i.e., not on behalf of a company, organization, institution, or government). If you are registered with only an individual applicant profile, you are only allowed to apply to funding opportunities that are open to individuals.

Types of Eligible Organizations

There are many types of organizations generally eligible to apply for funding opportunities on Grants.gov. Each type of organization listed in the categories below is a specific search criterion in Search Grants. Small Business Administration (SBA) for most industries in the economy.

Foreign Applicants

Whether a foreign individual or organization is eligible to apply for a grant depends on the authorizing legislation and agency policies.

Taxpayer Identification

Applicants may need a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), also referred to as an employer Identification Number (EIN). source income and a TIN/EIN is not necessary.

Read also: Funding Your Graduate Education

Washington State Educator Grants and Scholarships

Washington State offers several conditional scholarships to support educators looking to enhance their qualifications or enter the teaching profession. These scholarships come with a service obligation; failure to fulfill this obligation results in the award converting into a loan that must be repaid with interest and other fees.

NOTE: Applicants may only apply for one conditional scholarship at a time.

Educator Retooling Conditional Scholarship

This scholarship supports Washington State certified educators seeking to add a shortage area endorsement to their certificate.

Award Amount: Up to $3,000 per endorsement add-on.
Eligibility: Must be a Washington State certified educator. Must attend an educator preparation program, approved by WSAC, to participate in state financial aid.
Obligation: Participants must fulfill their service obligation to avoid paying back the award.

Pipeline for Paraeducators Conditional Scholarship

This scholarship supports paraeducators and Recruiting Washington Teachers alumni who wish to become teachers.

Award Amount: Up to $4,000 per academic year, varying based on financial need and available funds.
Eligibility: Paraeducators and Recruiting Washington Teachers alumni.
Duration: Eligible for up to four academic years.
Obligation: Participants are expected to continue to earn their certification and fulfill a teaching service obligation.
Requirement: If selected, participants will need to complete and submit a signed Promissory Note and be enrolled in the institution selected.

Teacher Shortage Conditional Scholarship

This scholarship encourages individuals to become teachers in shortage areas and aims to retain these teachers.

Read also: Grants for Single Parents

Award Amount: Up to $8,000 per year for up to four years.
Eligibility: Must be accepted into, and maintain enrollment in, a PESB-approved teacher preparation program leading to an initial teacher certificate.
Obligation: Participants who do not fulfill their teaching obligation will have to repay the award, with interest and other fees.

Alternative Routes Conditional Scholarship

This scholarship supports individuals pursuing teacher certification through alternative route programs, focusing on shortage areas.

Award Amount: Up to $8,000 per year for up to two years.
Eligibility: Selected by alternative route providers that have been awarded block grants through the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB). Alternative route programs are partnerships between Washington professional educator standards board-approved preparation programs, Washington school districts, and other partners as appropriate.
Application Process: There is not a WSAC application process.
Obligation: Participants who do not fulfill their teaching obligation will have to repay the award, with interest and other fees.

Student Teaching Grant

This grant provides additional funds to student teachers at Title I public common schools in Washington.

TEACH Grant Program Eligibility

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program provides grants to students who intend to teach in high-need fields in low-income schools. Alongside general federal student aid eligibility, specific requirements apply to the TEACH Grant Program.

Core Requirements

Enrollment: Must be enrolled in a TEACH Grant-eligible program at a school that participates in the TEACH Grant Program. A TEACH Grant-eligible program is an eligible program (as described in Volume 2, Chapter 2) that is designed to prepare a student to teach in a high-need field and that leads to a bachelor’s or master’s degree or is a postbaccalaureate program. Schools that participate in the TEACH Grant Program determine which programs to designate as TEACH Grant-eligible programs.
Academic Standards: Must meet certain minimum grade point average or standardized test score requirements, receiving TEACH Grant counseling.
Agreement to Serve or Repay: Signing a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve or Repay.

GPA and Test Score Requirements

In general, students who wish to receive TEACH Grants must meet an academic standard. Specifically, they must either have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale or the numeric equivalent, or must have scored above the 75th percentile on at least one of the batteries from a nationally normed standardized undergraduate, graduate, or post-baccalaureate admissions test (not a placement test).

GPA Calculation: If the GPA standard is used, eligibility for an undergraduate student in the first year of a TEACH Grant-eligible program is based on the student’s final cumulative high school GPA upon graduation or the cumulative GPA for all classes the student has taken at the postsecondary school through the most recently completed payment period. For an undergraduate student in the first year of a program, you must confirm the student’s high school GPA using documentation obtained directly from the cognizant authority, or documentation from the cognizant authority that is provided by the student. A cognizant authority includes, but is not limited to, a public or private secondary school, a local or state education agency (or other state agency) or, in the case of a home-schooled student, the student’s parent or guardian. If your school does not incorporate grades from coursework that it accepts upon transfer into a student’s GPA at your school, then for the courses accepted upon transfer you must calculate the student’s GPA for the first payment period using the grades the student earned in coursework you accept from any prior school.
GPA Equivalency: Schools that do not use a standard 4.0 GPA scale for a program must have an equivalency policy with a numeric scale for purposes of determining TEACH Grant eligibility. The policy must be in writing and must be made available to students upon request.
Exceptions: Certain students are not required to meet the minimum GPA or standardized test score standards described above.

Service Obligation

To satisfy the TEACH Grant service obligation, a TEACH Grant recipient must teach in a high-need field. The Nationwide List includes fields that have been documented as high-need by the federal government, a state government, or a local educational agency. These high-need fields may be subject areas, geographic areas (for example, a particular county or counties within a state), or specific grade levels (for instance, elementary education) where it has been determined that there is a need for teachers. The Nationwide List is updated annually.

Texas Education Agency (TEA) Grants

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) offers various grants to support educational initiatives within the state.

Finding Grant Opportunities

TEA lists all active and recent educational grants on the TEA Grant Opportunities page.

Request for Application (RFA)

The RFA describes a grant program and includes guidelines governing the program, eligibility criteria, applicable legal provisions and assurances, due dates, and the grant application with instructions for completing it. Errata notices may also be posted; therefore, applicants are encouraged to check the site periodically for updates. Changes affecting multiple grants may be provided as Universal Errata. Grantees must comply with all RFA requirements to ensure that grant funds are expended in accordance with the defined purpose and goals of the grant program.

Application Process

eGrants Application: An eGrants application is an online grant application that is published through TEA’s electronic grants system, eGrants. This system stores the application and related amendments, special collections, and reports. Before an eligible applicant can complete an application in the eGrants system, grant staff responsible for completing, submitting, and certifying the application must have a TEA Login (TEAL) account.
PDF Application: The PDF application process requires eligible applicants to download the two-part application from the TEA Grant Opportunities page and complete it electronically. Part 1 is an Adobe PDF template, and Part 2 is a Microsoft Excel budget template.

Grant Review and Award

Before TEA awards funding of any type, the grant application is reviewed for compliance with all grant requirements and to check that costs are allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary. The applicant may be asked to update elements of the application in order to meet requirements. If TEA determines during the negotiation process that the application is not eligible to be funded, the agency will notify the applicant of its ineligibility for funding. When TEA and the applicant have negotiated the grant application to approval, TEA awards grant funds by issuing the Notice of Grant Award (NOGA). The NOGA incorporates by reference all guidelines and instructions issued by TEA in the RFA as well as the negotiated application, and it constitutes the binding agreement between TEA and the applicant. The NOGA also identifies the start and end of dates of the grant program period. Along with the NOGA, the grantee receives a document called Supplement to the NOGA.

Oregon Teacher Scholars Program (OTSP) Grant

The Oregon Teacher Scholars Program (OTSP) Grant provides funding for eligible candidates who have experience with diverse populations who are pursuing their preliminary licensure program for teaching, school counseling, social work, and school psychology.

Renewal Applicants

Continuing Scholars: Renewal applicants (those who have received the grant in a prior year) must log in to their OSAC Student Portal account and re-apply for the next academic year in addition to submitting their FAFSA or ORSAA for the corresponding academic year.

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