Spotlight Fund Grant Terms and Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be licensed PreK-12 educators or certified staff members, employed at an accredited PreK-12 public, private, or charter school in the United States.
Educators must be registered, have an AdoptAClassroom.org classroom page and have logged in within 60 days before the application deadline.
This short video on our YouTube channel walks you through how to register and create a classroom page.
Educators must agree to and follow AdoptAClassroom.org’s Terms of Use to apply and receive funds.
Educators who apply for funds give consent for their application content, name, state, photo, biography, and the name of the school where they teach to be published in communications by AdoptAClassroom.org and/or their partners to promote our mission and/or partnership.
AdoptAClassroom.org reserves the right to revise application materials for clarity or communication purposes.

Depending on the number of Spotlight Fund Grant applications received, AdoptAClassroom.org may screen based on eligibility criteria before grading and/or during selection, including whether the applicant:

Is employed at a school meeting AdoptAClassroom.org’s definition of high-needs, as determined by the percentage of students:
Receiving free or reduced-price lunch
With Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
Who are English-language learners
Has never received AdoptAClassroom.org funds
Has not allowed more than $50 in classroom funds to expire
Has received less than $500 in AdoptAClassroom.org funds in the previous 12 months

Note: For each Spotlight Fund grant, a small number of applications submitted by educators at schools that do not qualify as high-needs are evaluated for selection.

Evaluation Criteria

AdoptAClassroom.org will be evaluating applications for the following:

School need – Does the educator’s school fit AdoptAClassroom.org’s definition of a high-needs school based on the following measures?
Relatively high percentage of students (80%+) receiving free or reduced-price lunch
Relatively high number of students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
Relatively high number of English-language learners
Educator need – Has the applicant received donation(s) on AdoptAClassroom.org worth more than $500 in the previous 12 months?
School location (to ensure the disbursement of funds nationwide).
Log-in frequency – Has the applicant logged in to their AdoptAClassroom.org account within the past 60 days?

Grading Criteria

Please see the Spotlight Fund Classroom Page Instructions for full details on how to edit and update your classroom page for your Spotlight Fund application.

1. Profile photo
a. The profile photo should be clear, personal, and/or engaging:
i. Photo of the teacher
ii. Memoji/Bitmoji-style image
iii. Other illustration depicting the teacher
2. Banner photo
a. The banner photo should be representative of the classroom, school, or subject area and be clear, compelling, and engaging.
3. Introduction and classroom description
a. The teacher invites readers into their classroom by sharing about what makes them and their students special.
4. Importance of Spotlight Fund Topic
a. The classroom page clearly shows that the teacher understands:
i. The importance of meaningful instruction in the Spotlight Fund topic
ii. The limitations caused by not having the appropriate supplies
5. Items to be purchased with the grant
a. The classroom page lists specific supplies or types of materials that could realistically be purchased for $500.
b. The classroom page addresses how the requested supplies contribute to meaningful instruction in the area of the Spotlight Fund topic.
6. Impact on classroom
a. The classroom page clearly states at least one positive outcome that the items purchased with the Spotlight Fund Grant would provide.

Apply for a Spotlight Fund Grant

Please visit our teacher funding opportunities page for all Spotlight Fund application deadlines. When the calls to entry are open, application information will be available on the Teacher Dashboard and posted on our blog.