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Teachers from Stanley Elementary School were among 181 recipients to receive Katy ISD Foundation grants this year.[/caption]
Now in its third year of operation, the Katy ISD Foundation awarded more than $220,000 in grant funding to KISD teachers across 30 campuses in May. The foundation began in 2012 as a way for teachers to receive classroom grants for projects that could not otherwise be funded, KISD Administrative Liaison Janet Theis said.
“We see this as a targeted investment in our schools, because the grants stay in the classroom and support teachers [developing innovative programs],” Theis said.
Since its inception the foundation has more than doubled the amount of grant funding it has offered to teachers, due in large part to a 2013 partnership with British Petroleum that increased the amount of funding available for STEM-related projects, Theis said. The partnership created a jump in available funds—from roughly $88,000 in 2013 to more than $200,000 in 2014.
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Crowds turned out for the fall 2014 KISD Foundation fundraiser, Fireflies and Foodtrucks, which was held at No Label Brewery.[/caption]
More than 180 teachers received grants in 2015. The five-page application process began in November and went through a three-step blind evaluation process where projects were reviewed and discussed by a group of community volunteers, Theis said.
