The Trust recognizes the impact an educator has on the student experience. From the kindergarten classroom to post-secondary education and beyond, engaged, and well trained faculty are often a key factor in a student’s educational success and experience.
In the Trust’s four states and across the country, teacher shortages are affecting the quality of education available to students. Thus, a portion of the Trust’s work in Educational Quality aims to strengthen the pipeline of educators who support pathways to the classroom for committed individuals who want to teach.
Once they are in a classroom, educators must keep up with the latest curricula, teaching methodologies, and innovative ideas—often at their own expense and on their own time. The Trust will fund projects to support the professional development or certification of educators as a way to support the overall quality of their teaching.
Grants in this area are by invitation only. Grant sizes vary depending on the capacity of the applying organization and the scope and reach of the proposed project.
Featured Grant in Quality Education: UNC Wilmington
The Trust funded a grant called Teacher Assistance for Teacher Assistants at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW). The program aims to address the teacher shortage in North Carolina by providing financial support to Teacher Assistants (TAs) to complete the coursework required for full teacher licensure. TAs who participate in the program will be required to teach in a North Carolina public school for at least one year per year of funding received as a form of “repayment,” to support the overall goal of increasing the number of qualified elementary school teachers and improving educational outcomes in North Carolina public schools.
