Education

Below are recent grants made to Education organizations through the Foundation's Competitve Grants program. To find local Education organizations, view our Nonprofit Directory or click here for a list of nonprofit websites.

Grand Teton Music Festival
TuneUp! School Program
$6,344

With only two staff teachers to instruct 550 students in bands and orchestra, teaching resources for preparing young musicians at Jackson Middle and High Schools are strained. This grant will fund additional teachers to conduct instrumental sectionals in support of schools’ large ensemble programs. This individual and small group instruction will enhance opportunities to learn how to play instruments, develop basic musicianship skills and learn repertoire and performance practice from musicians affiliated with the festival.

Grand Teton National Park Foundation
Youth in Nature Multicultural Engagement Program
$15,000

Latino youth are one of the most underserved populations in our community, and cost is often a prohibitive factor to participation in after-school activities programs. Through the Youth in Nature program, a collaborative effort between the Park Foundation and Teton Science Schools, these students will have the opportunity to explore the natural and cultural history of Grand Teton National Park and build leadership skills through mentoring and service work. Grant funds from the Community Foundation will help provide funding for instructor fees and transportation costs for the summer component of this program.

InterConnections 21
Model United Nations Conference
$4,793

Citizenship skills and understanding of global issues are critical for participation in civic life and the rapidly changing world economy. Opportunities that effectively teach these skills while providing vital information about global issues and democratic processes are rare in Teton County. InterConnections 21 has worked closely with Jackson Hole High School, Jackson Hole Community School and Journeys School since 2006 to organize Teton County Model UN annually and to ensure that the conference meets their needs. Grant funds will be used for general event operating costs including food, speaker fees, advertising and registration fees.

Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum
New Museum Classroom Equipment
$6,300

The Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum is opening the Museum of Jackson Hole, the first ever year-round history museum in Teton County. In addition to exhibitions, the Museum will feature a classroom to be used by both Museum staff and Teton County teachers to deliver curriculum-based history programs and other educational programming. Funds from this grant will help to outfit this classroom with the equipment, supplies and technology necessary for quality educational programming.

Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
SUMMERQUEST and NATUREQUEST
$2,500

Throughout the school year, Teton County School District receives tremendous support from the community for enrichment programs; however, there is little support offered for such programs for the approximately 250 students who must attend remedial summer session. With grant support from the Community Foundation, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival will implement SUMMERQUEST, to combine traditional classroom experience with a series of place-based projects involving scientific research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In conjunction with the Teton Mentor Project, they will also incorporate NATUREQUEST to provide 60+ mentor/youth pairs with day-long nature photography outings, culminating in a special exhibit showcasing their images during 2011 Earth Day Festival at the Center for the Arts.

pARTners
Classroom pARTners
$10,000

pARTners facilitates the link between Jackson’s vibrant arts community and local schools. Each year the pARTners Integrated Arts Program not only engages 11 community nonprofit organizations, 20 local artists, and many parent volunteers, but also expands core curriculum through broader exposure to the arts. Grant funds will support programming designed to meet four goals: teach multidisciplinary academic content; capitalize on community resources, local artists and content experts; fulfill and elaborate on classroom learning standards; and integrate with higher and lower grade-level academic projects.

Teton Literacy Program
Integration through Language Classes
$4,194

Teton County’s Community Integration Survey, conducted in the fall of 2009, demonstrates that there is a greater need for integration of Jackson’s immigrant population. Teton Literacy Program offers four separate Spanish classes during each of its three 10-12 week sessions, along with two parent Spanish classes during the year. These classes are expected to reach 600 people. With funds from this grant, native Spanish and English speakers will communicate with one another for 15 minutes per class in both languages. Students will progress from guided discussions to free conversations. Through this year-long program, the organization not only hopes to accelerate students’ academic progress, but also to promote interaction between native English speakers and native Spanish speakers.

Teton Literacy Program
After-school Tutoring
$20,000

Teton Literacy Program currently provides tutoring free of charge. Maintaining this level of service is even more critical than in the past, as more parents are unemployed and have been forced to reduce expenses. With this grant, Teton Literacy will be able to expand its volunteer tutor program, which currently serves between 40 and 47 students annually, to serve 60 students in the upcoming school year. Funds will cover the costs of coordinating the volunteer program, online training, recognition, appreciation, materials and supplies.

Teton Science Schools
Technology and Education Summit
$13,000

Technology literacy is becoming increasingly fundamental in the workplace, and Jackson’s schools must continue to understand and learn how these advancements interface with our school systems to ensure that students gain the necessary skills. The Jackson Hole Technology and Education Summit will create an opportunity for local teachers to explore how improvements in technology will change the educational landscape for children. This grant will fund speaker fees, panelist travel costs, filming costs, surveys, marketing and communications costs.