NEA Foundation and Staples Foundation for Learning Partner to Award $50,000 in  “Green” Grants for Educators

Funding Earmarked for Environmental Education Projects to Foster Student Achievement

WASHINGTON, DC (August 17, 2009) -- Staples Foundation for Learning (SFFL), a private foundation created by Staples, Inc., today announced it is awarding a $50,000 grant to the NEA Foundation. Funding from SFFL will support Green Grants, a program that provides support for educators to develop and implement ideas, techniques and approaches that integrate environmental education into the classroom to increase student engagement and improve academic achievement.

“The partnership with Staples Foundation for Learning allows us to grow our grant programs for educators, which is especially important during an economic downturn when it is harder to find resources,” said Harriet Sanford, president and CEO of the NEA Foundation.  “Over the past year, we’ve seen the amount of grant applications double and an increase in integrating environmental issues across school curriculum. With support from Staples, we are able to respond to increasing interest for programs that encourage environmental stewardship and, for the first time, designate grants specifically for ‘green’ projects.”

The SFFL Green Grants to Public School Educators builds on the success of the NEA Foundation’s Student Achievement and Learning & Leadership Grant models that have provided nearly $6 million in grants to public school educators throughout the past 10 years.

“Green Grants supports environmental education in the classroom, providing teachers and students with a greater understanding of environmental issues that impact both the world and their community,” Joy Errico, director of community relations for Staples, Inc. “Staples is committed to supporting this program that enhances classroom curriculum and engages students in important sustainability issues.”

Public school educators are eligible to apply for individual grants worth up to $5,000 for the development and implementation of ideas, techniques and approaches for teaching “green” concepts. The NEA Foundation will award three round of green grants in 2010, with deadlines for applications falling on Oct. 15, Feb. 1 and June 1. Interested educators can view application guidelines and a sample application, watch an instructional video guiding them through the application process, find descriptions of recently funded grantees, and apply online at www.neafoundation.org.

About The NEA Foundation

The NEA Foundation is an independent public charity created in 1969 and sustained by contributions from educators, corporate sponsors, and other supporters of public education.  The Foundation offers grants and programs that support educators' efforts to close the achievement gaps, increase classroom innovations, provide professional development, and salute excellence in education.  For more information, visit neafoundation.org.

About Staples Foundation for Learning

The mission of Staples Foundation for Learning, Inc. is to teach, train and inspire. Founded in 2002, the foundation has contributed nearly $15 million to national and local charities that provide educational opportunities and job skills for all people, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Staples Foundation for Learning has also developed lasting relationships with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Earth Force, Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City.  In addition, Staples Foundation for Learning supports Ashoka, an organization that develops and supports social entrepreneurs around the world, in eight countries: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United States. For more information about the foundation or how to apply for a grant, please visit www.staplesfoundation.org.