One single thing determines how successful a PreK-12 student will be in academics and in life. Do you know what it is? Access to a highly effective teacher. Unfortunately, teachers in U.S. schools are a mixed bag. Some are decent, some are excellent, and some give the noble profession a black eye. One thing separates the effective teachers from ineffective ones; the desire to learn continuously. This can be accomplished through personal learning initiatives and also via the professional development provided by your school district. However, some teachers go the extra mile and apply for professional development grants and fellowships, which can pay for anything from college courses to attendance at international conferences.

How can you find these grant and fellowship opportunities? With a simple google search. Also, you can just use the list of professional development and fellowship grant opportunities for teachers, that we have included for you below.

10 Professional Development Grants and Fellowships for Teachers  

1. Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program– Provides a $6,000 monthly stipend and $1,000 in monthly living expenses. Gives educators a 10- or 11-month position in federal agencies or U.S. congressional offices across the country. During this time, the fellows get a chance to have a direct impact on educational programming, policy, and reform efforts.
2. Emerging Teacher-Leaders in Elementary School Mathematics Grants– The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NTCM) gives this $6000 grant to math teachers in grades pre-K through fifth grade who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in teaching and applying innovative new ideas to their classrooms. This grant can be used for continuing education for teachers, including college coursework, fees associated with attendance at national conferences, material resources, etc..
3. Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (Fulbright TGC)– The Fulbright grant is a year-long professional development opportunity for U.S. elementary, middle, and high school teachers to develop their teaching skills and understanding of how to prepare their students for the global economy. The grant also helps teachers to bring a global perspective to their schools through targeted training, experience abroad, and global collaboration.
4. Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Fellowships– The Teaching Fellowship Program supports new high school STEM teachers. It’s one of the most enriching and comprehensive teaching fellowships in the nation, providing tuition assistance, monthly stipends, support for continuing education for teachers, and grant money for classroom tech.
5. NEA Learning & Leadership Grants– NEA’s Learning & Leadership grants support the professional development of NEA members by awarding grants to educators for continuing education and to groups for college courses. Preference is given to proposals that include STEM.
6. Teacher-Leader Professional Learning Grant (Pre-K-12)– This grant provides professional development support to teachers and mathematics teacher-leaders. Professional development must be central to one of NCSM’s signature initiatives, Formative Assessment, Digital Learning, or Access-Equity-Empowerment.
7. Teacher Professional Development Grants (6-8)– This grant supports professional learning to improve the skills of mathematics teachers. Applicants must be members of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and have over three years of experience teaching middle school.
8. The Grosvenor Teacher Fellow (GTF) Program– This is a professional learning opportunity for pre-K through 12th-grade educators. Educators complete a series of activities and projects that enable them to leverage their experiences into new ways to teach students and engage colleagues. Through this experience, they bring new geographic awareness into their professional learning communities.
9. The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation– This grant wants to increase the efficacy of individual teachers. The foundation is interested in receiving proposals that want to enhance student learning and educational quality, paying particular attention to those that best serve the at-risk and underfunded. The foundation funds a total of 125 grants for continuing education for teachers.
10. The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)– The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is an honor bestowed on outstanding teachers by the United States government for excellence in K-12 STEM teaching. The award recognizes teachers who have deep content knowledge of the subjects they teach and the ability to motivate and enable students to be successful.