Rural schools and districts across Georgia face unique challenges, especially with the COVID-19 outbreak and the need for distance learning. Currently, the Georgia Foundation for Public Education (GFPE) is offering a limited number of grants to assist these schools.
State education officials and state lawmakers have placed an emphasis on expanding educational opportunities in rural areas of Georgia. This is the third year GFPE has offered the grants. In previous years, the Rural Education Fund grants have been used to expand arts education, provide computer science instruction or even build an urban garden.
“We know that rural schools and districts face unique resource gaps, which have only intensified in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” GFPE Executive Director Paige Pushkin said. “The Rural Education Fund allows schools and districts in rural communities to access targeted funds to address their students’ needs.”
According to Pushkin, a limited number of grants of up to $5,000 each are available. Any public school or school district located in a Georgia county with a population of 35,000 or less is eligible to apply for this year’s grants. Pushkin emphasized that all applicants must propose a project that would solve a current challenge within the school or district and would lead to positive student outcomes. Through the application process, schools have the flexibility to identify their area of greatest need and demonstrate how the proposed project would make an impact on students.
Grant applications will be due by July 15, and recipients will be notified by mid-August, according to Puskin.
The Georgia Foundation for Public Education (GFPE) is the foundation for the Georgia Department of Education and exists to support educational excellence for students across the state.
