Schools
Madison Education Foundation Announces Enrichment Grant from ConnectOne Bank
The foundation has received a $5,000 enrichment grant to further its mission of funding creative, academic initiatives of local teachers.
The Madison Education Foundation (MEF) has announced the support of ConnectOne Bank in the form of a $5,000 enrichment grant. The ConnectOne Bank Enrichment Grant will further the work of MEF, whose mission is to award grants to all teachers in Madison public schools for initiatives that energize the creative and academic lives of students, but are above and beyond the school budget.
“ConnectOne Bank continues to demonstrate its commitment to public education in Madison through this unrestricted $5,000 grant,” says MEF co-president Clare Sievers. “MEF is currently accepting applications for its Winter Cycle and will announce those grant approvals in mid-March. We were delighted to approve $38,000 in educational enrichment grants in mid-December. A gift of $5,000 has a real impact on bringing teacher-initiated ideas to life for our District’s students.”
MEF awarded more than $176,000 in enrichment grants in 2015, impacting students across five schools.
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“We are witnessing an increase in application submissions – not only in quantity – but encompassing every curricular area,” says Sievers. “Madison educators are researching the latest tools and technologies available in their respective fields and then bringing that innovation to their classrooms through MEF support.”
“We are proud to continue our work with the Madison Education Foundation, an organization that has made a significant impact on public education by equipping New Jersey’s teachers with the tools they need to help students thrive,” said ConnectOne Bank’s chief lending and relationship officer, Elizabeth Magennis. “As a community bank, serving and giving back to our local communities is in our DNA, and we’re proud to play a small part in MEF’s mission to inspire and enrich education.”
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ConnectOne Bank Madison Branch Manager Chris Nyzio and Vice President Fran Ryan spent a morning at the Madison Junior School in 2015, viewing MEF grants in action. ConnectOne Bank executives were able to hear directly about the impact of MEF through a novel presentation entitled “Coffee with Grants,” comprising student presentations and classroom tours, where MEF grants were in use. Grants profiled included Digital Microscopes, a memoir writing workshop, and feedback about the seventh-grade class trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Area businesses that would like to support the work of MEF are invited to contact Clare Sievers via sieversc@verizon.net. More information about the Madison Education Foundation, as well as a complete list of grants, can be found on the foundation’s website.
