Teacher & Staff

Grants

Do you know those times when teachers or students get together and start dreaming out loud about improving their schools and someone says, “Wouldn’t it be great if…”? or “you know what our school needs?”

DEF Grants were meant to fuel THOSE ideas, both big and small. DEF understands that our teachers and staff know how best to reach ALL of our students in creative and inspiring ways, and we want to support as many of those ideas as possible.

With these grants we hope to support single-year projects and/or provide seed funds for pilot projects that can then be continued by CSD, PTAs/PTOs, or the schools.

This year DEF will hold two grant cycles for Teachers & Staff:

2026 1st Semester Grant Cycle:

Grant application cycle opens: Wednesday, August 29th

Grant application closes: Friday, September 18th

Grant winners announced: Friday, October 2nd

Presentation of Grant awards: Wednesday, October 7th

2027 2nd Semester Grant Cycle:

Grant application cycle opens: Tuesday, December 1st

Grant application closes: Friday, January 22nd

Grant winners announced: Friday, January 29th

Presentation of Grant awards: TBD

We want to hear about your ideas-big and small!

  • Grants requests can include:

    • Innovative Classroom Ideas

    • School Travel/Field Trip Requests (Financial Need required)

    • Professional Development

    • Grant must be submitted by a CSD Staff Member.

    • Projects must be approved by School Principal and Wilson Center Staff must have support of their Director.

    • All CSD Funding Options must be exhausted first.

    • Travel and Field Trip Requests must show a financial need for students attending. (Example 100 students attending 10 requested financial support.)

    • Winners must agree to list DEF as a sponsor of your event!

  • It varies based on the project submitted, but historically awards range from $200-$3000.

Application

Teacher & Staff Grant application

Any teacher or staff member in the City Schools of Decatur is eligible to apply for funds! We can’t wait to hear your ideas.

  • The program of Teacher Innovation Grants was the first initiative that DEF created in 2000.

    We’ve been supporting Innovation in Education for 25 years!

  • Over the history of DEF, micro-grants have been given to students to kick-start their innovative ideas. In 2023 DEF formalized this into ‘Student Innovation Grants’

    Modeled after our decades-long program of Teacher Innovation Grants.

  • CSD Schools’ PTAs and PTOs have been great partners in funding ideas that don’t quite fit the rubrics, but still need funding at the school level.

    Every year we send a list of the grants (both awarded and not) to the schools’ PTAs/Os to invite them in on bringing these ideas to life.

These are just a few of the initiatives that were awarded DEF Grants in 2025-2026

BHMS  Poetry Slam

BHMS  Life Skills

Clairemont ES Bringing Wit & Wisdom to Life

College Heights ECLC Make College Heights Green

DHS FPV Drone

DHS PC Build/Repair Shop - Startup Funds

DHS STEM Tour of Mercedes Benz Stadium

FAVE Spark & Build STEAM Night

FAVE Operation Cuisine Gastronomique

Glennwood ES Flamenco Dancing

Oakhurst Sew Much Fun: Learning Through Stitches

The Talley Zen Den

Talley Music Instruments for All

Talley Tiny Art Gallery

Westchester Wolfpack Art Club