The Kids In Need Foundation Announces 2014 Teacher Grants Program with National Sponsor: Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
DAYTON, OHIO –The Kids In Need Foundation, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to providing free school supplies to economically disadvantaged school children and under-funded teachers, is joining forces with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores to launch the 2014 teacher grants program to helps educators fund special classroom projects for students.
Marking the seventeenth year these grants have been available, hundreds of grants ranging from $100 to $500 will be awarded to preK-12 teachers nationwide. To apply, teachers can visit the Kids in Need Foundation website at www.kinf.org beginning July 15 through September 30. Grant awards are based on the creativity of the projects being proposed.
“As the national sponsor of this year’s teacher grants program, we are excited to partner with The Kids in Need Foundation to help teachers do what they do best: inspire students,” said Jim Wright, senior vice president, marketing and advertising, at Jo-Ann. “Sparking the creativity of every person is our mission at Jo-Ann, and this is especially true for children. The teachers benefited through this program inspire students every day by providing innovative learning opportunities, and we cannot thank them enough for their efforts.”
As the national sponsor, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores will offer a Teacher Rewards Program to provide benefits to teachers. All teachers are encouraged to enroll in these programs, but when applying for grants using these applications, teachers will be required to sign up for them.
The Jo-Ann Teacher Rewards Program offers a free discount card for 15 percent off every purchase from September 1 to August 31 (excluding remnants, patterns, gift cards, and previous purchases). Teachers enrolling or re-enrolling in the program will receive a bonus coupon for 20 percent off any one total purchase. Teachers who are already enrolled in these loyalty programs are encouraged to complete the applications. To learn more and apply, visit www.joann.com/teacher.
"By providing teacher grants to educators, we are empowering them to provide new learning opportunities in the classroom when there otherwise would not be the funds to do so," said Dave Smith, executive director of Kids In Need. "Through our unique partnership with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, we hope to provide teachers with the support they need to help students succeed.
About the Kids In Need Foundation
The Kids In Need Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1995. The Foundation’s mission is to prepare children to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies to students most in need. Its National Network of Resource Centers includes 32 facilities where teachers from low-income schools go to obtain free school supplies for their students. School supply giveaways in communities not served by Resource Centers are accommodated through the School Ready Supplies program, and students who have gone through natural disasters are helped to get back to their normal routines with new backpacks and supplies through the Second Responder program. In addition, two Teacher Grant programs award preK-12 educators with funding to provide innovative learning experiences for students. The Kids In Need Foundation has distributed more than $550 million in school supplies since its founding, directly benefiting 3.6 million students and more than 120,000 teachers annually, and has awarded $1.5 million in grants to teachers. Kids In Need has earned the Gold GuideStar Exchange Seal, demonstrating its commitment to transparency, and has consistently received high ratings from Charity Navigator, indicating that it operates in a fiscally responsible way and outperforms most other charities in America. For more information, visit www.kinf.org.