The Friendswood ISD Education Foundation (FEF) awarded FISD with more than $40,000 in grants during its Fall Legacy Grant SurPrize Patrol on Friday, Dec. 15.
FEF Legacy Grants are designed to go above and beyond the threshold of FEF’s traditional Adopt-A-Grant program in size, scope and impact, and may be submitted for projects ranging from $5,000 to $40,000.
“More and more often, we have teachers coming to us with ‘dream big ideas’,” FEF Executive Director Ashley Adair said. “The Legacy Grant Program allows us to capture those and work towards securing funding to bring them to life.”
FEF pulls 3% off of its endowment fund each year to fund Legacy Grants. The endowment currently sits around $1.7 million and continues to grow with the support of FEF’s Century Club members and endowment donors.
After reviewing fifteen Legacy Grant proposals totaling more than $289,000, FEF’s Grant Committee selected three projects for funding and those teachers were informed with a surprise visit from FEF on Dec. 15.
“As one of the grant chairs, there is nothing more exciting than having the joy and privilege of surprising teachers and students with over $40,000 in grants,” FEF Grant Committee Co-Chair Marianna Raia said. “These will change the course of learning for so many students in FISD!”
Grant recipients include Bales Quest Teacher Alexis Young who was awarded $15,768.20 to support a new sensory room at Bales, Windsong Math Coach Sarah Pike who was awarded $14,023.80 to fund two new science labs at Windsong, and Friendswood High School Teachers Amanda Davies and John Hall who were awarded $11,154.65 to level up the FHS Forensic Science program.
“My heart was racing when I realized what was happening,” Davies said. “I can’t wait to implement new tools and technology into my Forensic Science class!”
Pike shared that the new science labs will create a space where curiosity meets discovery and Young shared that the new sensory room will provide all Special Education students at Bales with a multitude of sensory and motor options.
The excitement expressed by the grantees was matched by the emotions felt by Century Club donors who attended the SurPrize Patrol including Russell and Rhonda Handy.
“The most impactful part of the experience for us was watching the excitement of the teachers as they realized a project proposal they had worked on as a labor of love was coming to fruition and the benefits it would have for their students,” Handy said.
If you would like to invest in the future of FISD, you can make a tax-deductible gift to the endowment by joining FEF’s Century Club or making a general donation today. Contact AAdair@fisdk12.net or visit fef.myfisd.com/ways-to-give/century-club to learn more.