Advance Grant Program
ADVANCE GRANT CYCLE NOW OPEN FOR
2025-2026 school year!
The D38 Education Foundation reviews all applications. ADVANCE grant application is now open from March 1 to March 31, 2026 . Grant awards will be made upon approval of the D38 Education Foundation Board of Trustees. All applicants will be notified by April 13, 2026. Please see below for guidelines and application.
Grant Guidelines
Potential applicants are encouraged to direct any questions to the Foundation prior to submitting an application. Eligibility requirements:
- Grant requestors must be current employees of Lewis-Palmer School District, not to include substitute teachers. All educators, including classroom teachers, specials teachers, transition and HSEA teachers, special education professionals, specialists (interventionists, gifted and talented, multilingual), paraprofessionals and support staff, may apply. District administrators, parents, and students are not eligible.
- Only those who are actively involved in the professional development are to be listed as applicants.
- Application must include well-developed professional development objectives and have building administration (principal) approval of the professional development.
- Advance Grant requests up to the amount of $5,000 may be made for professional development and continuing education experience such as conferences, summer institutes, trade shows, in-person or online training, certifications and alternative certifications, coursework towards licensure and/or cost of licensure, and tuition toward teaching advancement.
- Potential applicants are encouraged to direct any questions to the Foundation prior to submitting an application.
Please note that
applications for individual grants that exceed $5,000 must meet the following additional criteria:
- Make a strong case for how the training can be brought back to the District as a 'train the trainer' implementation that would either: (a) impact multiple levels of students and the larger site community; or (b) have potential for district-wide or multi-school implementation.
Grant Recipient Expectations
Grant recipients are expected to:
- Complete final report of professional development completion on provided form.
- Provide proof of qualified expenditures to the Foundation within 30 days from the end of the event.
- Return unused funds.
- Continue employment in the district for a period of two years following completion of the program. Failure to continue district employment will be subject to repayment of Advance grants prorated according to length of continued employment.
- Include acknowledgment of funding in all references related to the grant. Share the benefits and outcomes of the Advance grant with D38 Education Foundation, as appropriate.
- Upon request, submit a labeled photo demonstrating the impact of the grant award. (Please ensure that all students pictured have a photo release through the District.)
If you are concerned about implementation of any of the below items, please contact us at d38foundation@gmail.com
Grant Restrictions
D38 Education Foundation Advance Grants will not fund professional development which is fully funded by District 38.
Advance grants do not pay for educator salary or hourly pay associated with attending professional development.
The D38 Education Foundation does not fund professional development which is outside the mission and goals of the Foundation, and generally does not provide on-going or recurring project expenses without annual application.
Full semester or annual coursework towards a Master’s Degree is out of scope at this time due to limited funding. The Foundation will expand its scope as funding opportunities allow.
Approved grant funds must be used within 12 months from when the award was granted, unless a written request for an extension is submitted to the D38 Education Foundation.
Grant Evaluation Criteria and Guiding Principles
The D38 Education Foundation has a commitment to equity, inclusion, diversity and access and will consider these principles in our grant process. The following grant evaluation criteria will be used to determine awards for the 2026 year:
- Nature and impact of professional development on the individual educator, short and long term
- Impact of professional development on other school staff, schools, or the district
- Number of students impacted by the professional development
- Funding amount requested for the professional development
- Additional funding sources available for the professional development
- Strength of alignment with Advance Grant objectives, district/school need, and District Strategic Plan
The D38 Education Foundation will make every effort to have a balanced distribution of grant funds across District 38 based on applications received within a particular grant cycle. However, the evaluation criteria above will be the determining factor in awarding grants. Recipient data across staff classifications, school buildings and elementary vs. secondary recipients will be published annually after grants are awarded.
Past ADVANCE Grant Award Recipients:
Bobetta Young, Monument Academy - Secondary Campus
Melissa Anderson, Lewis-Palmer Elementary School
Kate Gosling, Monument Academy - Elementary Campus
Jackie Cirbo, Lewis-Palmer Middle School
Melissa Lindemann, Lewis-Palmer High School
Dianna Harris, Bear Creek Elementary School
Meghan Harrop, Ray E. Kilmer Elementary School
Jennifer Kalbron, Bear Creek Elementary School
Heather Boyd, Ray E. Kilmer Elementary School
Shelby Turck, Bear Creek Elementary School
Hannah Dykes, Bear Creek Elementary School
Nathan Nors, Prairie Winds Elementary School
Anne Tellez, Lewis-Palmer Elementary School