SPLC program offers grants to educators teaching tolerance

The Teaching Tolerance Educator Grants program offers grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 for such projects that include marginalized students, promote an affirming school climate and educate young people to thrive in a diverse democracy. Educators who work in public or private K-12 schools, as well as alternative schools, therapeutic schools and juvenile justice facilities are eligible to apply here. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

“Teachers and administrators know best how to come up with innovative ways to teach their students to fight bigotry and hate,” said Maureen Costello, Teaching Tolerance director. “We want to help them turn those ideas into projects that will have a big impact on the way students see themselves, and how they view and treat others.”

The program will feature two funding tracks, one for projects implemented at the school level and the other at the classroom level. The school-level track will support projects that are driven by a school’s leadership team to improve school climate, reduce hate, support culturally responsive practices and implement an anti-bias curriculum. At the classroom level, teachers will use the grants to fund programming that promotes empathy and kindness, positive identity development, perspective taking and critical thinking. All grantees will be asked to submit a post-project evaluation form to demonstrate the program’s impact.

“Our hope is to build, over time, a network of educators who are enthusiastic about learning from each other and will share their experiences fighting injustice in their schools with the broader Teaching Tolerance community,” Costello said. “Instead of allowing prejudice and hate to fester in the minds of our young people, we want to cultivate future generations with greater empathy, kindness and understanding for one another.”