“We, like many nonprofits, were really worried during COVID that we would we would be challenged to raise the money that we needed to meet student needs,” said executive director Tess DeGeest. “What we found is our donors were so incredibly generous that we were able to continue to thrive. What that has meant, now that kids have been back in school for more than a year, is that we are continuing to try to help address mental health needs in the schools, help kids learn how to self-regulate, how to adjust, how to be good citizens really. These are leadership skills that our kids need to learn from the very beginning.” One annual project supported by the foundation, with the support of other area nonprofits, gives every third grader in the school district their own dictionary. “That means that 3,000 or so third graders in our Anoka-Hennepin schools every year for more than 20 years now have received a free dictionary. For some kids it’s the first time they’ve ever had their own dictionary, and so they get excited,” said DeGeest. The foundation also gives grants to teachers. In the past those grants have included support for makerspaces in schools, and improving classroom libraries – even adding comic books to get more students interested in reading. “This year we’re really trying to focus and reinvest in innovation is what I would say. Our mission is to cultivate equitable and innovative experiences. COVID really highlighted a lot of the inequities in our schools, but what we want to do now is really move forward and think about how do we innovate in the classroom, and how do we support our teachers who have new and creative ideas all the time but just don’t have the resources to implement them. The foundation is currently accepting grant applications from district teachers with great ideas for their classroom or school. Typical grants range from $200 to $7,000. The foundation’s biggest fundraiser of the year is coming up. The Northern Stars Celebration is February 11 at the Bunker Hills Events Center.
ANOKA-HENNEPIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION LOOKS TO FUND INNOVATIVE TEACHER GRANTS
ANOKA – (Jan 26, 2023) – Since 1990, the Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation has been supporting the Anoka-Hennepin School District. The non-profit works to meet changing educational needs – from funding calming corners and classrooms, to providing earbuds for students during distance learning.
