Broward Education Foundation

Programs of the Broward Education Foundation

BEF’s Teacher Grant Fund:   The purpose of the Broward Education Foundation Teacher Grant Fund is to reward teachers and school-based administrators by funding their original and innovative projects. These projects should enrich the standard curriculum and explore new alternatives to traditional methods of learning. Grant applications should address needs for which funding is not available through state, federal or district revenues. This year’s priority will be given to projects designed to enhance and expand the students and teachers integration of technology in the classroom. (Grant funds may not be used for expansion and/or maintenance of existing programs or as a personal honorarium for the applicant.) Pre K – 12 Broward County public school educators are eligible to apply for a Broward Education Foundation Teacher Grant.

BRACE Scholarship Fund:   The BRACE Scholarship Fund is an established program of the Foundation which awards last dollar scholarships to qualifying students who have exhausted all avenues for financial aid and still fall short of their monetary need to pursue a post secondary education.  Long term education may include community college, university or vocational school. In response to the need to provide scholarship dollars to graduating seniors with financial need, the Broward Education Foundation established the BRACE Scholarship Fund, named in honor of the Broward Advisors for Continuing Education (BRACE). Since 1985, the BRACE Advisors have provided resource information and technical advice/assistance on continuing education for Broward County public high schools, technical centers, and adult community schools. Throughout the year, they encourage our students to apply for scholarships and they are the group who conduct the review and selection of the awardees as a service to the Foundation. The Broward Education Foundation Scholarship Celebration raises dollars for scholarships for deserving students who have exhausted other avenues of support and might not be able to pursue secondary education without the Foundation’s assistance. Higher education provides a young person the opportunity to live, learn, and grow in a positive environment and to fulfill his/her dreams for a better life. The Foundation helps to make those dreams become a reality. Student selection is based on un-met financial need.  BRACE Advisors meet early in the summer and complete a complex screening process to determine this need based on factors such as awarded federal financial assistance, other scholarships, annual household income and more, to ensure these scholarships are awarded to the students who need it the most.  Since the creation of the BRACE Scholarship Fund, the Broward Education Foundation has provided over 3,510 scholarships to graduating high school seniors, totaling over $7.2 Million. .

“Ready, Set and College Bound” Program   Citi Foundation’s “Ready, Set, and College Bound” Program will develop a team approach in low-performing high schools to help 11th grade students not only make a college goal, but also learn the skills needed to apply and succeed in college. Low-income, families and first generation college students will be targeted. Earning a family wage without some further education or training beyond high school is getting more and more difficult. College provides students with a higher level of earnings and even access to health care is often affected by one’s educational level. Students may not know what steps they need to take in high school to attend college, for example, preparing for entrance exams, completing applications, and applying for financial assistance. Especially first-generation college students face these same barriers. By transforming a team of educators into college advocated, students will have a stronger support structure for success.

IMPACT II: Broward Education Foundation’s IMPACT II recognizes and rewards outstanding teachers through grants, workshops, school site visits, publications and dissemination of program information. Teachers who have developed successful programs within their classrooms are called “disseminators” and are awarded funding to help package and promote their programs. Teachers use grant money to publicize their ideas and to interact with other interested colleagues, called “adapters,” who then receive funding to customize the original concept to fit their individual classroom needs. Disseminators want to help others improve their work; adapters search for ways to make their own classrooms better. Disseminator Grants allow teachers to further develop and disseminate exemplary programs that they have developed within their classrooms. Disseminators receive $1,000 grant awards: $500 to improve their projects and $500 to package and market them. Disseminators showcase their projects and present workshops to interested colleagues from Broward County at the annual IMPACT II Idea Expo held in February. Successful programs are outlined in the IMPACT II Idea Catalog on a DVD-ROM. Adapter Grants are awarded to teachers who wish to incorporate disseminator programs into their own educational curriculum. Adapters receive up to $600 to purchase the necessary supplies to facilitate these programs. Adapters learn about successful programs either through review of the IMPACT II Idea Catalog or attendance at the annual IMPACT II Idea Expo. Once a program is selected, the Disseminator furnishes the Adapter with an Idea packet that outlines the program in detail, including lesson plans, budgets, and step-by-step guides to successfully implement all components. IMPACT II is an ongoing program of the Broward Education Foundation. The IMPACT II program reaches out to teachers who have developed successful classroom teaching methods. These “disseminators” are given grants to package and market their proven projects through the Ideas with IMPACT catalog, the Idea Expo and Idea Packets that contain curriculum materials such as lesson plans, worksheets and resource lists. “Adapter” grants are available to help teachers incorporate IMPACT II ideas into their classroom.

Kids In Need Resource Center:   The Broward Education Foundation opened the Kids In Need Resource Center, part of a national program sponsored by the School, Home, and Office Products (SHOPA) Foundation for Educational Excellence. The program provides free school supplies and funding to aid students and teachers in low-income, under-funded schools. Since it’s opening in January 2001, over 6,100 teachers have accessed the center that includes notebook paper, pens, pencils, computer software, teacher supplies and much needed school supplies worth over $2 Million.