Cape Cod 5 recently awarded $50,000 to local public school educators through its 21st annual Educational Mini-Grants Program.
Teachers were honored virtually this year via the bank’s website, which highlighted the 111 grants that were presented to 143 teachers at 56 schools across Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Southeastern Massachusetts. The teachers estimate that these projects will impact more than 20,000 students in our region. The awards website can be accessed at www.capecodfive.com/MiniGrantsCelebration.
The grants will fund creative projects that teachers will use to inspire, challenge and empower students in the region. Informed by a feedback survey that was sent by the bank to local educators in the fall, Cape Cod 5 adapted its criteria for ranking the applications, prioritizing those that addressed the unique challenges currently taking place in the educational landscape. Eighteen percent of the winning projects will fund mindfulness practice and social emotional learning, 22 percent are related to STEM learning and 26 percent will fund projects related to diversity, equity and inclusion or social justice.
“Over the past year, education has become deeply personal for all of us, and we know our local educators have carried the weight of uncertainty while tasked with finding creative ways to encourage and educate their students, often from a distance or in a hybrid environment,” said Dorothy A. Savarese, chair and CEO of Cape Cod 5. “Cape Cod 5 has been long committed to the education and enrichment of our communities, and we want to support our educators as they grapple with the issues facing us today and rebuild foundations for the future.”
The webpage features guest speaker, best-selling author and local resident, Anne LeClaire, who shared an inspirational message for teachers. In addition, the site announced the recipients of 10 $100 bonus mini-grants. These bonus grant recipients were randomly selected from the list of educators who submitted eligible applications in the fall.
Public educators from all grade levels in the communities served by the bank are eligible for the Cape Cod 5 Educational Mini-Grants Program. Teachers use the grants to initiate original educational programs that would not otherwise be available to their students. Applications are available in the fall at www.capecodfive.com/educational-mini-grant-program.
