Beckley Area Foundation began this program in 1996 to offer a special grant opportunity for Raleigh County classroom teachers, Pre-K through 12th grade. It is designed to provide funding support for creative and innovative instructional projects. A committee comprised of current and retired educators, community volunteers and BAF board members review applications utilizing a 'blind methodology' in October. This methodology does not present the applicant's name or school during the review process. Mini-grants, up to $500, are awarded in November with checks being made payable to the educators' appropriate schools.  

Grant Application Details

• Maximum amount per request is $500.
• Educators may  submit 2 separate requests  for funding.
  • Project requests cannot supplement each other.
    • Example: One project requests $500 for colored pencils, paint and markers. The second project requests $500 for notebooks, easels and canvases.
• The application deadline  is 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, September 15th.
• DO NOT INCLUDE ANY  identifying information in any part of the application. 
  • This includes school, teacher, mascots, Title I status, school annuals or newspapers, etc.
  • Please make sure the school name does not appear on any uploaded documents.
    • In fairness to all applications, the inclusion of such information will result in the request being eliminated.
  • The project must directly involve and benefit students.
• Projects Typically Not Funded:
  • Subscription based programs that need funding each year.
  • Speakers’ fees will not be considered.
  • Party food and consumable items.
  • Band/Sports uniforms.
• A final report is due following completion of your project and is due no later than May 20, 2023. 
  • Failure to fulfill this requirement will result in exclusion from the next application cycle.

​
How to apply:
1)    ​Go to our Grant Portal.
2) If you are a new user, you will need to create an account. Previous grantees will use their previous log on information.
3) At the top of your screen, click on Apply. Select the Students First Program 2022-2023 application to begin.

---

2021 - 2022 Students First Award Recipients:

Beckley-Stratton Middle School
Jacqueline Jarrell |Entrepreneurship in the classroom

Bradley Elementary School
Juanita Johnson |History relived & Potato power
Julie Midkiff | From pigment to paint & Playing with pattern in art
Amanda Sammons-Meadows | Flashlight fun Friday
Allison Shriver | Biodiversity study & Making waves
Ashley Traybor | Virtual book club buddies
 
Coal City Elementary School
Kristen McBride | Sensory wall
Margret Perdue | Capturing their future & Little engineers
 
Cranberry Prosperity Elementary School
Leann Chesley | Beyond the worksheet & Checkmate
Juliana Huff | Coming to our senses in kindergarten
 
Fairdale Elementary School
Susan Greathouse | STEAMagination with legos
Tara Grubb |  Learning through imagination & Learning through the construction zone
Jamie Hazelwood |Building STEM tubs & Transforming our classroom into a art studio
Staci Stover |Put your own spin on your education & Teaching students to skip rope with their own unique styles

Ghent Elementary School
Danielle Callaway | Hands-on, brains-on

Hollywood Elementary School
Rebecca Chapman |Walk with a purpose
Andrea Horn | A-MAZE-ing engineers & Bringing literature to life
Emily Persinger | Learning to be flexible

Independence High School
Erin Buckland |Bookworms unite book club
Jill Wood |Students grow while gardening

Mabscott Elementary School
Hillary Lewis | ​"Pop it" math & "Pop" it reading

​Marsh Fork Elementary School
Tina Asbury | Time to sign
Kimberly Cantley | It's all about that bass & The little musicians composition club

Maxwell Hill Elementary School
Kellyn Meador |Sailing away with legos

Mount Hope Christian Academy
Allyson Boland |Using reading to enhance writing and grammar skills
Martha Cruise |Reading is "FUN"damental

Park Middle School
Linda Lilly | Pollinator Garden
Frederick Rickman | New Music Books
 
Raleigh County Office of Special Programs
Bethanie Dorsey | Magic Treehouses & What's the scoop
Caleb Wills | 9 square in the AIR
 
Shady Spring Elementary School
Lindsay Bolen | Escaping the classroom & Learning through life cycles
 Crista Childers | Mad about magnets
Susan Vandall | Creating with cubelets

Shady Spring Middle School
Megan Gray |Tickling the ivories with technology
 
Sophia Christian Academy
Teresa Bowman | Where in the world are we
Wendy Howerton |Mind, body and soul & Our glorious national park system
 
Stratton Elementary School
Cheyanne Toney | Fast food math manipulatives
 
Trap Hill Middle School
​Elizabeth Bowyer |The hunger games connections
Hanna McIntyre |Comparing texts & Coraline and claymation
 
Victory Baptist Academy
Autumn Childers | Bintiva fidget kicker desk band
Brittani Shackleford | Handbells and music supplies
Stacie Thomas | Brain expanders & Magnifying the situation
 
Woodrow Wilson High School
Julie Agnor | Developing a green thumb & Working for a living
Kelly Dalton | Yoga and social-emotional learning
Travis Doyle | ​A culture of readers & Non-traditional literature for non-traditional appetites
Lisa Shrewsbury | ​News to you

---