The FEDCO Charitable Foundation

The grant application period is now closed.

About the FEDCO Charitable Foundation

The FEDCO Charitable Foundation provides grants each year to full-time public school teachers serving students in grades kindergarten through 12 in Cerritos, Culver City, Norwalk-La Mirada, Pasadena and Los Angeles Unified school districts.

Click here for teacher grant opportunities in Orange, San Diego and San Bernardino counties.

Grants support hands-on, classroom or “real-world” field trip projects that bring learning to life and increase student academic achievement. Grants are designed to encourage experiential learning, enhance student understanding and boost student achievement with respect to the curriculum standards in one of the core subject areas.

Proposed projects must be submitted by a full-time teacher and may involve museum or field trips, environmental or science projects, artistic or cultural experiences, civics or community service projects, and the creation of a final student product that promotes student learning.

Grant funds may be used for transportation, pre- or post-field trip materials, or other expenses specific to the proposed project.

Grant funds may not be used for: computer hardware, salaries, substitute teachers, video cameras, trips to theme parks, third-party payments, sectarian purposes or for substituting existing funds that are available to support similar services.

Background

The FEDCO Charitable Foundation was created when the FEDCO chain of stores closed in 1999. After creditors and employee benefits were paid in full, the remaining assets of more than $7 million were used to establish the FEDCO Charitable Foundation, a supporting organization of the California Community Foundation, whose staff is coordinating the grant distribution process.

Funding Priorities

The goal of the grant program is to bring learning to life inside or outside the classroom and to increase student learning in one of the core subject areas: language arts, mathematics, science or social studies.

Priority will be given to projects that incorporate classroom-linked or community-based experiential learning connected to the core curriculum standards (see examples).

Eligibility

Teachers may apply individually for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000, and may collaborate with other teachers in their school and submit a joint application up to $2,000. Joint applications should be from a team of teachers of similar grade level or subject area at the same school.

To ensure that grant dollars are distributed to a wide range of geographically diverse schools and teachers across the targeted districts, the foundation will not award schoolwide grants.

• Eligible teachers must currently teach full time in a public school in the Cerritos, Culver City, Norwalk-La Mirada, Pasadena, or Los Angeles Unified school district and serve students between the ages of five and 18 (kindergarten through 12th grade).
• The school principal or administrator must understand and fully support the project, and sign the statement of support on the application form and final grant agreement. Applicants submitting an application online must indicate the principal's approval by checking the appropriate box.
• The teacher(s) must propose a class project that is aligned with and supports the curriculum standards and includes all students in the class.

Selection Criteria

• Project is likely to increase student understanding and achievement connected to the curriculum standards in language arts, mathematics, science or social studies.
• Project goals and learning objectives are clearly defined and tied to students' academic needs. The expected impact on student performance is described for all participants.
• If a field trip is involved, well-planned pre- and post-trip activities connected to classroom learning objectives are explained. If possible, reservations have been made.
• Activities, a timeline and logistics are clearly described. Grant funds must be spent by June 2008.
• The budget categorizes and shows item by item the use of grant funds. The project costs no more than $1,000 per teacher, or sufficient funding is in place for the project to be completed.
• For those working on a joint project with other teachers or classrooms, the collaborative effort is explained. The foundation recommends small teams of similarly focused teachers, by grade level or subject area.
• The school administrator fully understands and supports the project as evidenced by a signed statement on the cover sheet, or, for applications submitted via our Web site, by checking the appropriate box on the online application.

Examples

The following are examples of projects teachers have submitted. Teachers may be innovative and develop projects that suit their students' learning needs and interests.

• One fifth grade teacher requests $500 to engage students in the study of the environment, conservation and how various animals adapt to their “biomes” in order to survive. Students will take a field trip to the West Basic Water Recycling Plant, the Roundhouse Marine Lab & Aquarium and Redondo Beach, and create follow-up research books.
• Four kindergarten teachers request $2,000 to improve 95 kindergarteners’ knowledge and understanding of life science and plants through the use of “see-inside” classroom incubators, math and writing assignments related to the chicks hatching, and a field trip to Tierra Rejada Farm in Moorpark.
• Two 11th grade teachers request $1,000 to deepen student understanding of World War II history and tolerance issues by integrating U.S. history, American literature and composition and the arts. Students will visit museums (Museum of Tolerance, Japanese American National Museum), meet a Holocaust survivor, participate in discussions about diversity and write about lessons learned from war.

2007–2008 FEDCO Teacher Grants Program Timeline

• September 2007: Applications become available online.
• Nov. 16, 2007: Applications due to the California Community Foundation.
• December 2007 – January 2008: Applications are screened and reviewed by the California Community Foundation program staff.
• Mid-January 2008 : All teachers are notified of their application status and grants are distributed.
• February 2008 – May 2008: Projects are implemented.
• April 2008 – June 2008: Project reports are due to the California Community Foundation.

Use of Funds and Final Report

The California Community Foundation will award about $240,000 in teacher grants in Los Angeles County in January 2008.

Funds should be expended by May 31, 2007, and a brief final progress report will be required for all grants.

Because the community foundation is interested in increasing student engagement and learning, a two-page narrative report, including a summary of the students' accomplishments, and an expense report are requested as the final progress report.

Enclosing a few photos or samples of student work documenting the project is highly encouraged. We reserve the right to reproduce photos and students’ work in publications and on the foundation's Web site.

Grant Limitations

Grant funds may not be used for the following:

• Field trips for only a select group of students within a classroom
• Staff salaries
• Existing obligations, or to replenish other resources used to pay for such expenses
• Computer hardware or equipment such as digital or video cameras
• Sectarian purposes

How to Apply

There are three different ways to apply for a FEDCO Classroom Enrichment Fund grant:

• Submit an online application. (Completely read the guidelines before beginning the online application.)
• Download a Word or PDF version of the application and then e-mail a completed application to fedcofund@ccf-la.org.
• Download a Word version of the application and then mail or fax a hard copy of the application to the California Community Foundation.

Online applications are highly recommended. Choose only one method to submit your application. Make sure to include administrator approval with a signature if applying by fax or mail.

FEDCO Teacher Grants Outside Los Angeles County

Please refer to the following organizations to review the eligibility guidelines and deadlines for Orange, San Diego and San Bernardino counties:

Orange County Community Foundation
Applications are available in September and due in November.

San Diego Foundation
Applications are available in May and due in June.

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Applications are available in January and due in March.

If you have any questions or need additional information not provided on our Web site, call the FEDCO Charitable Foundation hotline at (213) 452-6206 or send an e-mail to fedcofund@ccf-la.org.

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