NEHS recognizes and celebrates the invaluable dedication of its Chapter Advisors, who tirelessly strive to enhance their teaching practices and positively impact their students’ educational journeys. In support of this commitment to continuous improvement, NEHS offers Professional Support Grants designed to empower educators in expanding their expertise and skills within the English Language Arts and related fields.
By investing in the professional growth of Chapter Advisors, NEHS not only enhances the educational experiences within its chapters but also empowers educators to inspire and enable their students effectively. These grants exemplify NEHS’ unwavering commitment to fostering a community of lifelong learners dedicated to advancing literacy and enriching educational practices.
Professional Support Grant funding can be used to cover the costs of:
- Registration to a local, state, or national conference or convention focused either on the English language arts or other issue of importance to the Advisor’s work as an educator
- Fees for educational courses, seminars, speakers, or presentations related to some aspect of the English language arts or other issue of importance to the Advisor’s work as an educator
- Professional, pedagogical texts selected to enhance teaching skills or a set of texts to be used within English department at the Advisor’s school*
- Pedagogical resources (including, but not limited to, posters, bulletin board materials, identity/heritage month celebration materials) that will promote belonging in the Advisor’s classroom
* Advisors should not use this grant to request books for student use. Applications for that use should be made, instead, to the Classroom Library Grant.
Awards
Awards of up to $500 are granted twice per year.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be registered NEHS Chapter Advisors at a school with an active chapter.
- Applicants cannot have received a Professional Support Grant within two years of submitting this application.
- Applications cannot be made less than 8 weeks prior to the event/purchase.
Application Requirements
Applicants will be asked to upload a single Word (.doc/.docx) document containing the following information:
- A narrative text, not to exceed 500 words, explaining the request for funds, the purpose, and the educational value for the recipient(s)
- Details of the overall cost of the conference/event/purchase
- Links to programs, events, or conventions. If requesting funding to purchase professional text(s), please provide titles and plan for use. If requesting funding for belonging resources, please provide links and plan for use.
Application Process
- All submissions must be made via the NEHS AwardSpring platform during the Fall and Winter Awards Cycles.
- Applicants must complete demographic data questions prior to submitting their documentation.
- Applicants must upload a single Word (.doc/.docx) document containing all the details outlined above.
- All applicants must include a 150-word (max.) third-person biography and high-resolution portrait photo.
- Applicants must agree that they are willing to provide a written report and photos detailing the impact the grant has had on them, which can be used by NEHS to promote this and other opportunities in future years should they win an award.
Evaluation Process
All applications will be evaluated by at least three members of the NEHS evaluation team.
All applications will be evaluated against a rubric containing (but not limited to) the following categories:
- Clarity of proposal
- Alignment with educational goals
- Planned use of funds
- Meets needs of teacher and students
- Potential impact on teaching and student learning
