Austin Ed Fund Disburses $39K In Grants To Campuses

AUSTIN, TX — Officials of Austin Ed Fund, a recognized champion of the Austin Independent School District, revealed on Monday that more than $39,600 will be awarded in grants benefiting various campuses.

The revenue stream is described as support for time-sensitive academic or extracurricular needs not covered by the campus budget that provide educational enhancement for students considered economically disadvantaged in Austin ISD. Such requests include funds to provide experiences to students such as exposure to colleges, field trips, academic materials and equipment and cultural opportunities, officials described in a press advisory.

Since 2013, Austin Ed Fund has awarded more than $680,000 in teacher grants, including the $120,000 in Innovation Grants awarded in May.

“Thanks to generous donors to the Austin Ed Fund, these grants help level the playing field for our students,” Michelle Wallis, executive director of the Austin Ed Fund and Austin ISD’s Office of Innovation and Development said in a prepared statement. “We are thrilled to be able to support these amazing projects and initiatives and congratulate our teachers who go above and beyond to support our students. However, we have to acknowledge the huge gap between available funds and what our students and teachers need. This fall alone, we saw a gap of more than $250,000 in funds needed to support the initiatives that teachers applied for through our Student Opportunity Fund. The needs are great, and we invite the community to give to make sure our students and teachers have everything they need to be successful.”

Fourteen grants were divided among a dozen Austin ISD schools across the city for a variety of initiatives, including funding for field trips, academic support and musical instruments.
The 2019 Student Opportunity Fund Grant winners are:

• Austin ISD AVID Department: $4,752. Off to a Running Start: One criteria for college readiness for students in an AVID Elective is taking the PSAT in 8th grade; this project will fund students in need of financial assistance.
• Akins High School: $1,500. Real World Criminal Justice Experience: The priority of the funding is to cover competition registration fees and allow for equipment purchases to be used to test their knowledge, skills, and abilities in a real world, tangible scenario.
• Becker Elementary: $1,074. It Takes a Village: This funding will go toward field trips, showing students that they have adults who care about them and who will expose them to culturally rich opportunities, making the students more engaged members of their community.
• Blazier Elementary: $1,438. Let’s Build a Community of Readers: This funding will allow children to be exposed to books and start building a love of reading.
• Brooke Elementary: $645. Learning to Invest in Our Natural Self: This funding will provide staff with common curriculum and language to remove obstacles to learning for students and support them as they navigate changes.
• Casey Elementary: $3,990. ROX (Ruling Our eXperiences) Empowerment Program for Girls: This program is a 20-week, evidence-based empowerment program for girls that focuses on team building and healthy relationships. ROX teaches girls skills required to address the challenges and pressures they face every day.
• Dawson Elementary: $1,497. A Trip to Remember: This will allow students and their parents to go on an end-of-year field trip to Morgan’s Wonderland, an all-inclusive amusement park for kids with special needs.
• Dawson Elementary: $2,850. Community Experiences for Dawson Pre-K and ECSE: This funding will allow all Mollie Dawson Elementary students in Pre-K and Early Childhood Special Education to participate in various study trips connected to thematic units.
• Dobie Middle School: $10,000. Dobie/Northeast Orchestra Reboot: This project aims to provide each student with an orchestra instrument and private lessons, with the goal of resurrecting Northeast High School’s orchestra. It will also strengthen Dobie’s vertical alignment with Northeast and keep students wanting to stay in AISD.
• Eastside Memorial High School: $3,500. Research and Education Activities for Community Health (REACH) Research and Education Activities for Community Health REACH for New Horizons aims to increase awareness of community research around minority and under-served communities in East Austin. Funding will be focused on providing high school students with the real experience of working with a community-based organization that has a history of collaboration with special populations of targeted areas.
• Martin Middle School: $1,000. AP Test Funding for Spanish College Credit: This funding will pay for each student to take the Spanish AP test in order to earn both high school and college credit.
• Perez Elementary: $4,110. Read. Write. Lead! By publishing their own books, Perez students will become the creators of the diverse books needed in every school library and classroom, as they tell their own stories. These student-written books will serve as mirrors where students can see themselves reflected.
• Travis High School: $2,800. Travis ECHS Social Studies Department Creative Learning Field Trips: This will allow all students to go to Blanton Art Museum once per semester. There, students will experience hands-on workshops as a creative learning initiative. Additionally, students will tour the UT Austin campus in order to explore their post-secondary options after graduation.
• Walnut Creek Elementary: $520. Gettin’ Diggy With It: This archeological expedition is designed to give students exposure to one-of-a-kind experiences in STEM fields where they can do hands-on investigations. Our students will be led by researchers through critical archaeological field work and teach them how to get diggy with it.

"This funding opportunity is awarded two to three times a year and is exclusively for Austin ISD educators and campus leaders," officials said. "Projects must be able to measure the impact of the grant and serve a targeted group or campus where the student population is greater than 70 percent economically disadvantaged."

The Student Opportunity Fund awards grants up to $10,000. For more information on the Student Opportunity Fund, visit www.austinedfund.org/student-opportunity-fund.

About Austin Ed Fund

Austin Ed Fund is a recognized champion of Austin ISD. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Austin Ed Fund develops and stewards meaningful public-private partnerships that promote innovation and support opportunities that prepare Austin ISD students for college, career, and life. The organization has successfully served as a catalyst and facilitated over $20 million in support for Austin ISD strategic priorities and initiatives since 2001. Austin Ed Fund empowers teachers and students through two campus-based grant programs. Through these programs, Austin Ed Fund has awarded over $680,000 since 2015. For more information, visit www.austinedfund.org.