GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Teachers in rural Colorado can now apply for a grant to help them cover the costs of materials, class outings, tech tools and new programs in their schools.
The Nathan Yip Foundation, a nonprofit based in Greenwood Village that works to close the opportunity gap for students in rural Colorado schools, announced the grant process on Wednesday morning.
The foundation said the grant can be used for almost anything that positively impacts students and their learning experience.
The grant application process is open to teachers who work in 147 "rural or small rural" school districts in Colorado. Rural is defined as having student enrollment of 6,500 students or less, while small rural is defined as having less than 1,000 students.
According to the Colorado Department of Education, 80% of the state's school districts are in rural areas and often have small student populations, a low number of staff and limited resources compared to urban areas.
"Rural communities are the heart of America," the Nathan Yip Foundation's website reads. "After seeing our success in improving education quality and access in remote areas of China, the Nathan Yip Foundation is continuing that tradition by supporting teachers and students in Colorado’s rural schools."
The application for these grants is now open. It takes about 30 minutes to fill out. The deadline is Sept. 15 and recipients will be notified in late October. Grant totals range from $100 to $2,500. Principal approval is required.
In 2022, about $95,000 was awarded to 49 teachers. Learn more about previous grant recipients here.
The Nathan Yip Foundation was founded in 2002 by Jimmy and Linda Yip after their 19-year-old son Nathan was killed in a car crash in December 2001. Nathan had been heavily involved with philanthropy and working to encourage young people to help others. During a trip to China, he had talked with his dad about starting a foundation to fund education for underserved children around the world. His family decided once he had finished college, they would establish a foundation to do just that.
His family continued that promise after his death.
