Southern Poverty Law Center: Teaching Tolerance Educator Grants

The mission of Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, is to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy.

Teaching Tolerance Educator Grants support educators who embrace and embed anti-bias principles throughout their schools. These grants, ranging from $500 to $10,000, support projects that promote affirming school climates and educate youth to thrive in a diverse democracy.

Educators nationwide in public or private K-12 spaces, as well as in alternative schools, therapeutic schools, and juvenile justice facilities are eligible to apply.

The grants fund projects on the following levels: 

School- and District-Level
Funded projects will focus on improving school climate, responding to and preventing incidents of hate, or embedding the concepts found in the Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards into the school- or district-wide curriculum. These projects may also focus on improving teachers’ capacities to adopt the practices articulated in Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education and in the school climate resources, or to promote dialogue among school and district community members about anti-bias issues at school.

Classroom-Level
Funded projects offer teachers the resources necessary to create safe and welcoming classrooms that reflect the outcomes described in the Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards. Preference is given to projects that emphasize student action and promote student voice.

Note: The Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes five K-12 educators biennially from across the United States who employ research-based practices to help students develop positive identities of themselves, cultivate empathy, and appreciate different perspectives, think critically about injustice, and develop the skills to take action against injustice. Each awardee receives a $2,500 cash award and an expense-paid trip to Montgomery, AL, to participate in an Awardee Summit. 

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