Award & Grant Opportunities

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Throughout the year, National PTA offers awards or grants to honor or support PTAs as they engage families, support student success, improve the health and safety of students and families, increase access to arts education or celebrate advocacy and diversity.

National PTA is committed to promoting and encouraging many types of diversity and inclusion as part of our commitment to every child. In addition to evaluating the merits of each application, we may also consider geography, need, and other criteria to ensure a robust and diverse pool of grantees.


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Programs Grants

Aug 25 – Sep 27, 2021

National PTA offers grant funding for local PTAs who are interested in implementing a National PTA program in the areas of STEM, literacy, digital citizenship, healthy minds and the arts. Grants are need-based to provide extra support to PTAs in running their program or making their program accessible to all students.

The deadline to submit applications for this round of grants is September 27, 2021 at 8 p.m. EDT.

While we are pleased to be able to offer financial assistance, don’t forget—you do not need a grant to run a National PTA program. Visit PTA.org/Programs to learn more about the amazing PTA Programs available to you!

Family Reading Experience Grant, Sponsored by Office Depot OfficeMax

25 local PTAs will be awarded $1,000 in grand funding, sponsored by Office Depot OfficeMax, to implement the National PTA Family Reading Experience program to connect families with resources within their school communities. The goal of the program is to help expand student access to books and diversify libraries at home, in school and in the community. The grant dollars must be used to implement this National PTA program. Check out PTA.org/FamilyReading.


Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant

Two local PTAs will be awarded $1,000 in grand funding to administer student-centered programs that increase access to high-quality arts learning experiences and create new pathways for students to participate in the National PTA Reflections program. To be eligible for the Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement grant, your PTA must be participating in the 2021-2022 I Will Change the World By… Reflections program. The grant dollars must be used to provide new pathways for at-risk and underserved students to participate in arts education, including the Reflections program. Learn more.


PTA Connected SmartTalk Grant, Sponsored by NortonLifeLock

30 local PTAs will be awarded $1,000 in grand funding to facilitate PTA Connected Smart Talk family conversations in their school communities. The Smart Talk is an interactive tool created by National PTA and NortonLifeLock that walks families through a series of guided digital safety questions, then creates a personalized family agreement for how technology will be used at home. For this specific grant, your PTA must be willing to host a discussion that families and students participate in together about digital safety and The Smart Talk tool. National PTA has developed resources to support this discussion. Check out PTA.org/SmartTalk.


STEM + Families Science Festival Grant, Sponsored by Bayer

40 local PTAs will be awarded $1,000 in grand funding, sponsored by Bayer, to provide opportunities for families to participate in shared, hands-on science activities and be inspired to pursue careers in STEM. To successfully complete this grant, your PTA must be willing to run a hands-on science festival program using the National PTA STEM + Families Science Festival resources and ensure both students and families actively participate in the experiments, to enhance positive family engagement. This grant is open to PTAs that are located within a 55-mile radius of the following areas: St. Louis, Mo.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Berkeley, Calif.; and Whippany, N.J. Learn more at PTA.org/Science.


STEM + Families Propelling Our World Grant, Sponsored by Huntington Ingalls Industries

50 local PTAs will be awarded $1,000 in grand funding, sponsored by Huntington Ingalls Industries, to connect families with engaging STEM activities. To successfully complete this grant, your PTA must be willing to run a hands-on STEM+ Families Propelling Our World (Engineering Design Challenge) Program using the National PTA Propelling Our World resources, as well as to ensure the engineering design challenge activities allow both students and families to actively participate in the experiments, to enhance positive family engagement. In addition, using the available National PTA program resources, your PTA must be willing to educate families about STEM careers, including those careers involving skilled trades. Check out PTA.org/Engineering.


PTA Healthy Minds Grant, Sponsored by GoGuardian

15 local PTAs will be awarded $1,000 in grand funding, sponsored by GoGuardian, to equip families with the tools they need to build healthy minds. For this specific grant, your PTA must be willing to distribute and promote the National PTA Healthy Minds resources throughout the school year, gather data to better understand the mental health needs of students and families in your school community, and collaborate with your school leadership on ways to provide appropriate school-based mental health resources and services to families and students. Learn more about this specific grant opportunity here and about Healthy Minds in general here.

 

Phoebe Apperson Hearst Awards

May 1 – Oct 1, 2021

The Phoebe Apperson Hearst Awards for innovation in family engagement, named after National PTA co-founder Phoebe Apperson Hearst, recognize and celebrate achievement in building effective family-school partnerships. The awards are presented to PTAs that have earned top rank with their National PTA School of Excellence designation by demonstrating outstanding achievement engaging families in student success and school improvements. Local PTAs are encouraged to enroll in and complete the National PTA School of Excellence program during the 2021-2022 school year for consideration.

 

 

National PTA Life Achievement Award

Give the award of a lifetime. Give the National PTA Life Achievement Award—the highest honor from the nation’s largest child advocacy organization—to the person who daily lives out his or her commitment to children. Complete the Form or call (800) 307-4782 to submit your request.

 

Previous Awards & Grants

 

Jan Harp Domene Diversity and Inclusion Award

Jan. 12 – March 14, 2020

The purpose of the Jan Harp Domene Diversity and Inclusion Award contest is to recognize PTAs that are dedicated to the needs of all families represented in their schools. The contest acknowledges PTAs that develop practices that are inclusive and equal for all families and that result in positive change. All diversity and inclusion efforts must be from the previous calendar year (2020).

 

Healthy Hydration Grants, Sponsored by Nestlé Waters North America

November 2 – 24, 2020

30 local PTAs will be awarded a grant of $1,000 each sponsored by Nestlé Waters North America, together with its national brand Nestlé® Pure Life®, to educate families about the importance of drinking water. $500 will be awarded to 10 local PTAs who participated in the Healthy Hydration program in the 2019-2020 school year, providing an opportunity for these PTAs to advocate for health improvements in their school communities. Grant winners will be announced on December 18th. 

 

PTA Connected Smart Talk Conversation Grants, Sponsored by TikTok and NortonLifeLock

November 2 – 24, 2020

40 local PTAs will be awarded a grant of $1,000 each sponsored by TikTok and NortonLifeLock to foster PTA Connected Smart Talk Conversations within their school communities. The Smart Talk is an interactive contract created by National PTA and NortonLifeLock that walks families through a series of guided questions to establish a digital safety conversation and then create a personalized family agreement. Grant winners will be announced on December 18th. 

 

STEM + Families Science Festival Grants, Sponsored by Bayer

November 2 – 24, 2020

30 local PTAs will be awarded a grant of $1,000 each sponsored Bayer to help engage families in their school communities in science activities. The goal of the program is to make science more accessible and less intimidating to students and their families. Grant winners will be announced on December 18th. 

 

STEM + Families Propelling Our World Grants, Sponsored by Huntington Ingalls Industries

November 2 – 24, 2020

30 local PTAs will be awarded a grant of $1,000 each sponsored by Huntington Ingalls Industries to connect families with engaging STEM activities. The goal of the program is to inspire students and families to become more interested in STEM, and more specifically in the skilled trades, and eventually consider careers in these fields. Grant winners will be announced on December 18th. 

 

Mary Lou Anderson ArtsEd Grants

November 2 – 24, 2020

Two local PTAs will be awarded $1,000 to administer student-centered programs that increase access to high quality arts learning experiences and new pathways for students to participate in National PTA’s Reflections program. The Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant opportunity places special emphasis on increasing access to arts education among at-risk and under-served students. Grant winners will be announced on December 18th. 

 

PTA COVID-19 Relief Fund

June 1 – July 12, 2020

In moments of crisis, PTA is there working for our teachers, families and students. To help PTAs across the country support their school communities in need, National PTA has partnered with social media app TikTok to create the PTA COVID-19 Relief Fund. We are awarding $550,000 in funding to help PTAs meet the most pressing needs of their school community during the ongoing pandemic. Funds can be used to maintain existing programs or start new ones, such as helping families that are food insecure, supporting mental health programs, providing distance learning resources or helping with technology costs so students can continue learning online at home.