Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools Funds $90,000 in School Engagement Grants. $120,000 in available grants announced for 2023-24.
Each school year the Foundation for VPS provides grants to educators for projects that spark students’ interests, connect them to their passion, and help them envision and plan for their future success in college, career and life.
The Foundation for VPS has awarded more than 1.5 million dollars in school grants to fund innovative and exciting projects that enrich student learning. During 2022-23, the Foundation invested over $90,000 to fund more than 40 enrichment activities and 17 field trips which benefited over 11,000 students. During the first grant cycle all VPS schools were guaranteed funds for approved projects. During the second cycle, priority was given to projects that aligned with the VPS theme of “belonging” or culturally responsive programming which encouraged intercultural understanding or increased a student’s ability to relate the experience to their culture, community, and everyday life.
Projects eligible for Foundation grants include enrichment and mentoring activities or family engagement efforts and events. Schools can also use funds to purchase supplies for an event or enrichment program such as maker space supplies, robotics equipment, after school club supplies, PE and playground equipment, games, books, magazine subscriptions, and science kits. Schools have also used grants to fund field trips, presentations, speakers, and workshops on subjects like science, dance, art, music, and culture.
Last year the Foundation expanded grant access to include support for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs. This was in response to school administrators across the district expressing an urgent need for discretionary funds to support PBIS programs within their schools. Policies do not allow for district funds to be used for any type of student incentive or reward items, however research shows incentive programs can have a significant impact on student engagement and attendance in addition to encouraging positive behavior. According to the U.S. Department of Education Center on PBIS, “For every dollar spent implementing PBIS, $105 are saved by reducing school suspension and dropout.”
“Every year the Foundation has the opportunity to fund projects at each of our schools that offer students unique engagement and enrichment experiences,” said Jenny Thompson, Executive Director. “It is one of my favorite things we get to do, because often these opportunities stretch the imagination of our youth or encourage them to be courageous in their learning or remind our students the power of investing in themselves or perhaps just allow them to be a kid. I love hearing about the creativity from our educators in how they decide to use these grants and I hope you find the joy and power of these grants as well as you read about their impact from the last year.”
Graphic novel workshops, robotics kits, community garden supplies, and a school-wide mural project were among the experiences granted to Vancouver students through Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools Engagement Grants. See below for the full list of grant recipients.
The 2022-23 grant recipients include:
| Alki Middle School | OMSI field trip for special ed classes, frog dissection kits, field trip to Skyview Jazz Festival. |
| Anderson Elementary | Hummingbird robotic kits for grades 3-5. |
| Columbia River High School | Field Trip Equalizer funding to ensure all students can attend planned field trips including Portland Japanese Garden, Portland Zoo, Portland Art Museum, Portland Chinese Garden, choir retreat. |
| Discovery Middle School | Social-emotional materials to create break spaces for each classroom to support sensory processing and student self regulation. Positive behavior items for student store. Soccer equipment to expand PE unit. |
| Eisenhower Elementary | One School, One Book project. |
| Fort Vancouver High School | Positive behavior support materials (PBIS). OMSI field trip. Publishing for student book writing contest winners. |
| Gaiser Middle School | Positive behavior incentive items(PBIS). |
| GATE | Field trip to career fair, positive behavior incentive items(PBIS), food handlers cards. |
| Hazel Dell Elementary | Garden and outdoor learning space project. |
| Heights Campus | Five family engagement nights. Community garden and courtyard supplies. |
| Hough Elementary | STEM and playground equipment. |
| Hudson’s Bay High School | Black History 101 Mobile Museum. Positive behavior Incentive spirit wear (PBIS). Spanish language versions of classic novels for English Literature classes. |
| iTech Preparatory | Physics class field trip to iFly as part of air resistance course. |
| Jason Lee Middle School | One Book One School project. Supplies & transportation for day of service. |
| King Elementary | Supplies and Transportation for MLK Day of Service. |
| Lake Shore Elementary | Artist and student collaborative mural project. |
| Lincoln Elementary | Author visit and book purchases. |
| Marshall Elementary | Love & Logic Parenting classes, workbooks, and refreshments. |
| McLoughlin Middle School | Field trips to Battle Ground and Steigerwald Lakes for environmental science and math students measuring rates of change /data collection. |
| Minnehaha Elementary | Social emotional instructional resources, sensory tools and children’s books. |
| Ogden Elementary | Families around the World and Winter Wonderland family engagement events. |
| Roosevelt Elementary | Field tips to Oregon Children’s Theater, OMSI, Bizi Farms. OMSI school presentations. |
| Sacajawea Elementary | Science enrichment presentations by the Reptile Man, OMSI, Portland Audubon. |
| Salmon Creek Elementary | Multicultural Family Night event. |
| Skyview High School | Supplies for BOLT – Building our legacy together student event, Black History 101 Mobile Museum and speaker, Erin Jones, for MLK assembly. |
| Tangeman Center | Student and family engagement events and take-home activity kits. |
| Vancouver Flex Academy | Author visits for graphic novel workshops and OMSI field trip. |
| Walnut Grove Elementary | Kindergarten STEM materials. |
Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools Funds $90,000 in School Engagement Grants. $120,000 in available grants announced for 2023-24.
Each school year the Foundation for VPS provides grants to educators for projects that spark students’ interests, connect them to their passion, and help them envision and plan for their future success in college, career and life.
The Foundation for VPS has awarded more than 1.5 million dollars in school grants to fund innovative and exciting projects that enrich student learning. During 2022-23, the Foundation invested over $90,000 to fund more than 40 enrichment activities and 17 field trips which benefited over 11,000 students. During the first grant cycle all VPS schools were guaranteed funds for approved projects. During the second cycle, priority was given to projects that aligned with the VPS theme of “belonging” or culturally responsive programming which encouraged intercultural understanding or increased a student’s ability to relate the experience to their culture, community, and everyday life.
Projects eligible for Foundation grants include enrichment and mentoring activities or family engagement efforts and events. Schools can also use funds to purchase supplies for an event or enrichment program such as maker space supplies, robotics equipment, after school club supplies, PE and playground equipment, games, books, magazine subscriptions, and science kits. Schools have also used grants to fund field trips, presentations, speakers, and workshops on subjects like science, dance, art, music, and culture.
Last year the Foundation expanded grant access to include support for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs. This was in response to school administrators across the district expressing an urgent need for discretionary funds to support PBIS programs within their schools. Policies do not allow for district funds to be used for any type of student incentive or reward items, however research shows incentive programs can have a significant impact on student engagement and attendance in addition to encouraging positive behavior. According to the U.S. Department of Education Center on PBIS, “For every dollar spent implementing PBIS, $105 are saved by reducing school suspension and dropout.”
“Every year the Foundation has the opportunity to fund projects at each of our schools that offer students unique engagement and enrichment experiences,” said Jenny Thompson, Executive Director. “It is one of my favorite things we get to do, because often these opportunities stretch the imagination of our youth or encourage them to be courageous in their learning or remind our students the power of investing in themselves or perhaps just allow them to be a kid. I love hearing about the creativity from our educators in how they decide to use these grants and I hope you find the joy and power of these grants as well as you read about their impact from the last year.”
Graphic novel workshops, robotics kits, community garden supplies, and a school-wide mural project were among the experiences granted to Vancouver students through Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools Engagement Grants. See below for the full list of grant recipients.
The 2022-23 grant recipients include:
| Alki Middle School | OMSI field trip for special ed classes, frog dissection kits, field trip to Skyview Jazz Festival. |
| Anderson Elementary | Hummingbird robotic kits for grades 3-5. |
| Columbia River High School | Field Trip Equalizer funding to ensure all students can attend planned field trips including Portland Japanese Garden, Portland Zoo, Portland Art Museum, Portland Chinese Garden, choir retreat. |
| Discovery Middle School | Social-emotional materials to create break spaces for each classroom to support sensory processing and student self regulation. Positive behavior items for student store. Soccer equipment to expand PE unit. |
| Eisenhower Elementary | One School, One Book project. |
| Fort Vancouver High School | Positive behavior support materials (PBIS). OMSI field trip. Publishing for student book writing contest winners. |
| Gaiser Middle School | Positive behavior incentive items(PBIS). |
| GATE | Field trip to career fair, positive behavior incentive items(PBIS), food handlers cards. |
| Hazel Dell Elementary | Garden and outdoor learning space project. |
| Heights Campus | Five family engagement nights. Community garden and courtyard supplies. |
| Hough Elementary | STEM and playground equipment. |
| Hudson’s Bay High School | Black History 101 Mobile Museum. Positive behavior Incentive spirit wear (PBIS). Spanish language versions of classic novels for English Literature classes. |
| iTech Preparatory | Physics class field trip to iFly as part of air resistance course. |
| Jason Lee Middle School | One Book One School project. Supplies & transportation for day of service. |
| King Elementary | Supplies and Transportation for MLK Day of Service. |
| Lake Shore Elementary | Artist and student collaborative mural project. |
| Lincoln Elementary | Author visit and book purchases. |
| Marshall Elementary | Love & Logic Parenting classes, workbooks, and refreshments. |
| McLoughlin Middle School | Field trips to Battle Ground and Steigerwald Lakes for environmental science and math students measuring rates of change /data collection. |
| Minnehaha Elementary | Social emotional instructional resources, sensory tools and children’s books. |
| Ogden Elementary | Families around the World and Winter Wonderland family engagement events. |
| Roosevelt Elementary | Field tips to Oregon Children’s Theater, OMSI, Bizi Farms. OMSI school presentations. |
| Sacajawea Elementary | Science enrichment presentations by the Reptile Man, OMSI, Portland Audubon. |
| Salmon Creek Elementary | Multicultural Family Night event. |
| Skyview High School | Supplies for BOLT – Building our legacy together student event, Black History 101 Mobile Museum and speaker, Erin Jones, for MLK assembly. |
| Tangeman Center | Student and family engagement events and take-home activity kits. |
| Vancouver Flex Academy | Author visits for graphic novel workshops and OMSI field trip. |
| Walnut Grove Elementary | Kindergarten STEM materials. |
PO Box 6039
Vancouver, WA 98668
360.313.4730
foundationvanps@vansd.org
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