Grant Funding 101 for Educators: Building Confidence to Seek School Grants

"Grant funding" might seem like a magical unicorn: a gift of money for your school, hard to find and catch, and requiring special technical skills. But is that really true? In this session, PRI's Johna Rodgers and Amanda Paveglio will discuss what grants are (and aren't), dispel some common myths about grants, and help you get grounded and confident to seek out grant funding for your school.

Want more sessions to choose from? Check out all of the free, for-credit webinars in Share My Lesson's Summer of Learning 2026 series.

Executive Summary via On24 AI:

The webinar demystifies grant funding for educators by defining core grant terminology, clarifying what grants are (a contract and investment with accountability) and are not (free money, loans, sponsorships, crowdfunding, vendor promotions, or individual donations), and addressing common barriers such as time, unfamiliar rules, fear of rejection, and discomfort asking for money. Presenters emphasize that many education grants fund small, practical projects; success depends less on having a “perfect” idea and more on aligning a real, clearly stated need with a funder’s priorities. They reinforce that first-time applicants can win by leveraging existing evidence of impact, that grant seeking is a learnable skill where writing is only part of the work, and that strong proposals are built through teamwork with administrators, finance, and community partners to ensure approvals, budgeting, and compliance. The session closes by positioning schools as strong candidates for funding due to community trust, infrastructure, and clear missions, and points participants to upcoming sessions focused on finding best-fit funding sources and navigating school-specific grant realities.