For the first year, the Bethlehem Central Community Foundation will be offering grants to faculty and staff throughout the school district with its Classroom Innovation Grant Program.
The new program will allow teachers and faculty members to apply for grants of up to $1,000 to support classroom projects, curriculum innovation and programs for students “that will promote academic achievement and student well being.”
“We believe the best ideas for how to improve our schools will come from the people who work in them every day – teachers, staff, and administrators,” said Patty Michaelson, BCCF board member and Grantmaking Committee chairwoman. “We are very excited to see what kinds of projects will be proposed. This is a difficult time for school budgets and sometimes innovation and new programs are sidelined. We see these grants as a way to enhance the excellence of our school system.”
The Foundation hopes to award a total of $5,000 through the generosity of an anonymous donor.
The BCCF, formerly called the BC Community & Alumni Endowment Fund, was established in 1998. The goal was to enrich the “overall educational process of BC schools by funding programs and projects that are not traditionally funded through the annual school budget.” The group is known for the scholarships it awards to college-bound seniors.
Michaelson said the foundation knows it will not be able to support every idea presented, but members hope the community is excited about the project and residents will contemplate donating in the future.
`What has made this Bethlehem community special is now at risk because of the real financial challenges this district will face in an era of property tax caps and diminished state and federal support for its mission,” said James Lytle, BCCF board member and former BC school board president. “I became part of the BCCF because with the support of the community, it offers an opportunity to preserve and enhance the educational programs in the Bethlehem Central School District.”
Anyone interested in making a gift to support BCCF can send a check, made out to BCCF, to the Community Foundation, 6 Tower Place, Albany 12203 or donate online at www.cfgcr.org. All gift are fully tax-deductible.
