North Central Education Foundation

06/05/2026

You are invited to Columbia Grove Covenant Church on July 12 to support Teachers and Kids in our area by attending a GladSong concert! Add this to your calendar - Amazing music and a Wonderful cause!! Go to https://www.gladsong.org/ for more info on the choir and www.LoveTeachers.org for info about Teacher Grants from North Central Education Foundation Central ESD

06/04/2026

Now open! 2026 North Central Education Foundation Teacher Classroom Grants

The North Central Education Foundation (NCEF) is excited to announce that the 2026 applications for NCEF Teacher Classroom Grants are now available! Applications will be accepted through September 30, 2026. These small classroom grants (in the amount of $300) help supplement teacher resources in the four counties served by North Central ESD (Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan). Two grant options for teachers are once again available - Individual or Collaborative. You can apply by clicking on the links included below.

• The 2026-27 NCEF Individual Grant Application https://forms.gle/2gk2LWEECukW2hmL6 is available for individual teachers to request funds to support a project that they are planning within their own classroom. The Individual Classroom Grants will fund projects up to $300.
• The 2026-27 NCEF Collaborative Grant Application https://forms.gle/JFQ55wkmxf3RyEGV7 is designed to provide funding for a project where several teachers (a maximum of five) can work on a collaborative project that will impact more than one classroom. The Collaborative Classroom Grants will fund projects up to $300 per teacher involved with the project. For example, two teachers working on the same project can request up to $600, whereas, four teachers working on the same project can request up to $1,200.
• Why would I choose a Collaborative Grant instead of an Individual Grant? The Collaborative Grant is designed to enable more teamwork among teachers. A lead teacher can complete one grant application (naming all team members) instead of each teacher filling out a separate application for the same project. While it is the same amount of funding per teacher between the two application options, teachers can utilize the Collaborative Grant to lump funds together to allow for a larger project, and potentially impact more students.

The North Central Education Foundation is again offering grant categories that are relevant to teachers’ needs. You may apply in the following categories:

• Music/Arts (provided by the Woods Family Music & Arts Fund)
• STEAM/STEM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), Literacy
• Wellness/Social Emotional/Health
• Financial Education (funded by Consumer Jungle [formerly Young Adult Consumer Education Trust])
• Cultural Awareness/Social Studies/History (provided by Friends of Lower Grand Coulee)
• 9/11 Spirit of America Memorial (in the cultural awareness category)

During this school year we have continued to be inspired by teachers like you in our region who are determined to teach, despite all the ongoing challenges educators are experiencing. We are very pleased to offer NCEF Teacher Classroom grants so you can continue to offer creative projects to engage your students in learning. Our goal is to help meet the needs of innovative teachers like you as you continue to rethink how to engage students and deliver the best education possible.

Please note that, due to an increased number of applications, the grant selection process has become more competitive. Although a simple application is still our goal, we recommend that you include a complete description of your proposed project, and how it will impact classroom learning, to increase your chances of being selected. Also considered: Did you return an evaluation form for the last NCEF grant you received? Doing so adds to the score on your next grant application!

Deadline for North Central Education Foundation teacher grant applications is September 30 and awards will be announced in October. The applications will also soon be available on our website www.loveteachers.org soon. Please review the information and, if you have any questions, contact Eldene Wall at [email protected] or 509.669.6838.

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES:
• Consumer Jungle will fund grants supporting learning experiences that promote wise spending habits, financial discipline, and fiscal knowledge. This is In response to Washington State’s adoption of Financial Education K-12 Learning Standards. We are excited to once again partner with Consumer Jungle to fill this important need.
• The 9/11 Spirit of America Memorial Foundation is offering two $300 grant opportunities for students to reflect upon the significance of 9/11/2001 to our history and the impact on our society. Projects could center around an essay, an art or music project, an oral history, a flag mural, a tribute to those lost in the event, a field trip to the 9/11 Spirit of America Memorial and what it meant to them, a class civics project where students learn and discuss social repercussions of 9/11, etc.
• Friends of Lower Grand Coulee (FLGC) is once again offering funding available for $300 grants for Teacher Classroom awards in the areas of social studies, literacy, music and arts, STEM and STEAM, including projects or activities that occur inside or outside the classroom, or via remote learning. Preference will be given to projects or activities that help further the knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of the geology, culture, history, and natural beauty of the Grand Coulee areas (Lower and Upper Grand Coulee).

Examples of award winning NCEF grants can be found on Facebook (North Central Education Foundation).

We look forward to receiving your applications!

06/03/2026

Friends of Lower Grand Coulee invite you to the Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival, June 19 & 20, featuring free music workshops. See flyer for details! Middle School School District, Lake School District; District High School Creek School District

06/02/2026

Lyndell Peterson, teacher at Tonasket Elementary and Tonasket High School, described the success of her "Monster Collaboration" project: "3rd grade: Students were served by each student getting their own book to keep. They read this book alone, with a partner, and then we read it as a class. So students were served by not only receiving a book of their own to keep, they practiced reading, and their drawing and imagination to create their own monster based on what they read and where their imagination took them.
High School: We met our goal of each students mastering hand sewing and applique skills, making a custom sewing pattern based on the monster drawing and finishing a stuffed monster that looked like the drawing. Each student takes home a sewing kit at the end.
3rd grade comments: Many students in our school cannot afford to buy books. They can check them out from the library, but to own their own brand new book is not always a possibility. This grant gave students the opportunity to not only receive a book to keep, but to have read it and then draw and create their own monster based on what they read. Students were then paired with a high school student who read the book with them once more and designed, sewed, and made a monster for each student based on their drawing. Every week students asked when they would receive their monster, they were so excited. On the day students met up to receive their monster they were so excited to see their
monster was exactly how it was drawn. It allowed our 3rd grade students to be paired with a high school student which was exciting for them. For the rest of the day and the week that followed students shared their monsters with anyone who was willing to listen to them. The excitement about their very own handmade monster was beyond what words can convey here. They felt special that a high school student made them a monster that they drew. It was a project our students will never forget.
High School comments: All students in our school know that the monster project is a major highlight of my class. Incoming students always ask me if they get to make them, too! This project always has 100% participation, which is rare; some students make more than one by choice. My students take pride in their work because they know their 3rd grader is counting on them. The day we meet up to deliver them, there is a lot of nervousness because they hope their student will like them. The 3rd graders were ecstatic when they received their monsters, which made my students feel great. This year, there were many hugs and much excitement from the 3rd graders. I have many former students tell me they are using their sewing skills to repair clothes at home. One student recently told me that he 'hated the sewing project!' However, he went to leave for work one day and his button had come off. He remembered his sewing kit and repaired it. I'm grateful this has become a bedrock project for us. The value of this is immeasurable!

05/26/2026

Shelly Forster, teacher at Icicle River Middle School received an NCEF grant for a project for her students to raise coho salmon. Shelly shared," "Thanks to the funds from this grant, the 7th grade Icicle River MS Science students raised Coho salmon in collaboration with the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery and Cascade Fisheries. We released the salmon in the Wenatchee River after performing a stream habitat assessment with Jen from Cascade Fisheries. This is part of the Yakama Tribe’s effort to reintroduce Coho salmon to the Wenatchee River watershed.

In the Energy and the Environment class we built on this work by learning about dam impacts, dam modification, and stakeholder roles. Students took on the role of farmer, community member, tribal partner, or power company executive. Working in a team they researched the impacts of a Washington dam on their stakeholder and made a collaborative recommendation for the dam's future. Students also visited Rocky Reach Dam and took a hard hat tour of the dam's inner workings. The funds from the NCEF grant helped their learning come alive by helping them better understand the fragility of our local salmon in the face of migration obstacles like dams. In addition, students took ownership over raising the salmon, testing water quality, and keeping tank water chemistry balanced.

This funding allowed us to make a connection with 4th graders from Alpine Lakes, who also visited Rocky Reach and raised salmon this year. Our students acted as their teachers and role models when the 4th graders came to visit. They developed interactive presentations with videos, slideshows, trivia, and a game and shared their dam future recommendations. The 4th graders loved connecting with our students about their shared experiences raising salmon in the classroom."

05/12/2026

We hope you enjoy the 2026 NCEF video put together by Eric Link and his talented students in the Wenatchee Valley Tech Videoproduction Program https://youtu.be/NPB6tzEGM5Q?si=QjMF5pYC6h8oq7ox

Thank you for the wonderful partnership we have shared the past few years ~ we appreciate you so much!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/12/2026

Tricia Donaldson and a team of teachers at Lee Elementary, Eastmont School District, completed a successful "Coding and K'NEX" project funded by NCEF. Tricia shared the results of their project: "Were you able to meet your goals? Yes. We served 150 students across grades 3-6, successfully teaching computational thinking through hands-on coding with Botley robots.
How were students served in your project? Students in grades 3-6 received hands-on coding instruction using Botley robots. When Blue-Bot vendors were unresponsive, Amazon quickly provided Botley robots as an excellent alternative. Students progressed
from simple line-following to programming ball movement through goals and navigating K'NEX pathways, demonstrating strong problem-solving skills and exceptional engagement.
Are there any comments you would like to make about the North Central Education Foundation Grant process or about your project? The grant process was supportive and enabled meaningful cross-district collaboration. This investment brought quality STEM education to students district-wide.
Is there a specific example of how the funds you received have affected your students’ learning? A third-grader at Lee who struggled with sequencing had a breakthrough moment, exclaiming 'I need to think like a robot!' She successfully debugged her program and began helping classmates, demonstrating genuine computational thinking."

Note: If you would like to learn about more wonderful projects like this made possible through the North Central Education Foundation, please visit loveteachers.org. You can also donate there to help support these projects. (All project grants are only possible through the generous support of individuals, service clubs, non-profits and businesses.)

05/08/2026

Larry Howe, science teacher at Foothills Middle School in Wenatchee, funded his "Sheep Brain Dissection" project through an NCEF grant provided by a generous donation from Wheatland Bank. Larry shared, "Thank you NCEF for your continued support of student learning! By your generosity, we are serving 120 students each year with high quality learning. There are not many schools in
our area doing sheep brain dissection labs. I would go as far to say not many in Washington or Nation wide do anything like we are doing at FMS. Without these important funds, would not be providing this unique lab for our students. For 5 years now we have
built up our non-consumable tools for this project and can concentrate on purchasing enough sheep brains to serve our entire population annually."

05/06/2026

Michelle Rogge from Manson Secondary received a collaborative grant (for 4 teachers) for their "Hope Squad." Michelle said, "The grant successfully funded Hope Week in February, achieving all stated goals related to su***de prevention education and peer support through Hope Squad. All middle and high school students participated in daily activities throughout the week, receiving critical information about mental health resources and the importance of peer-to-peer support. Students learned how being a listening friend can lead to positive outcomes for peers who are struggling, with the curriculum delivered effectively through trained Hope Squad members.
Measurable Outcomes and Engagement: The week-long initiative demonstrated strong student engagement, as evidenced by active
participation in daily activities and positive student responses captured in photographic documentation. The peer-led approach proved highly effective, with students responding enthusiastically to hearing from their classmates rather than exclusively from adults. A Canva presentation with comprehensive photographic evidence was submitted to Eldene Wall, documenting the range of activities completed and the visible positive impact on student participants, as shown through their engagement and smiling fa es throughout the week.
Program Success and Future Implications: The grant-funded Hope Week successfully created lasting memories and increased awareness of su***de prevention resources among the student body. By combining engaging activities with peer-delivered content, the program made mental health support more accessible and relevant to students. The initiative established a foundation for
ongoing peer support within the school community, with Hope Squad members now positioned to continue serving as trained listening resources for their peers beyond the week-long event.

02/07/2026

Thanks to NCEF Board members Alex Siefe and Eldene Wall and volunteer Elmer Wall for an enjoyable evening at the February 6 Wenatchee Wild Nonprofit night!