Great teachers have great ideas. Together with you, the Hilliard Education Foundation wants to bring those ideas to life and help teachers and students do more! Each year, the Foundation will choose the best ideas and award grants to make them happen.

TEACHERS and STAFF
Keep reading to find out more information about applying for a grant.

PARENTS and COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS
Give now to support creativity and passion in our teachers and students!

We WILL fund:

  • New, innovative or unique learning opportunities for students
  • Projects not supported through traditional funding sources
  • Requests of $10,000 or less (this is an increase from previous years)
  • Opportunities with clear linkages to district-approved curriculum

We WON’T fund:

  • Author Visits
  • Transportation costs
  • Staff salaries, stipends or substitute costs
  • Consumable supplies (i.e. t-shirts, food)
  • Purchase of equipment to simply expand a current program with no new element
  • Continuation or repeat of an existing program (artist-in-residence excluded)
  • Individual Professional Development

Special Grant Opportunities
The following grants are provided by donors who have designated additional specific criteria. You must meet all the criteria above and the following to be eligible for these grants.

  • The Jessica Grové Fund for the Performing Arts. This grant will support High School performing arts programs.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS/TIMELINE

  • Summary Page (aka Letter of Intent) – Last Friday in January  
    • Review our 2026 Grant Guidelines to make sure your idea is eligible.
    • Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) – a one page summary of your idea – anytime throughout the year but no later than the last Friday in January.
      Your LOI will be reviewed and feedback given the first week of the following month.       Letter of Intent Form
  • Grant Application – February 28, 2026
    • The LOI isn’t a prerequisite to applying for a grant but is intended to provide feedback to applicants while preparing the grant application.
    • All grant applications must be received no later than February 28th. HEF Grant Application.
  • Notification of Award – April 30th
    • Applicants will be be notified of funding decisions by April 30th.
  • Next Steps after receiving a Grant
    • Applicants who are awarded a grant should submit a completed  Payment Request Form in order to receive funding.
    • Applicants should not pay for grants and then seek reimbursement from the Hilliard Education Foundation. Doing so will lead to forfeiture of the awarded grant.
    • Funds must be requested within one year of a grant award.

Congratulations 2026 Grant Winners

In 2026 the Hilliard Education Foundation awarded four grants with a total of over $30,000 awarded and impacting thousands of students in Hilliard schools.


Dream It, Build it
Scioto Darby Elementary
Students will use LEGO®, K’NEX®, and other building materials to design and build models of structures such as buildings, bridges, and parks. Through the engineering design process, students will plan, create, test, and improve their designs while applying concepts from science, math, literacy, and social studies. The project promotes critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Grant funding will provide reusable building materials that support hands-on learning, helping students build confidence, strengthen STEM skills, and gain a better understanding of how communities are designed and built.

 

Fine Motor Classroom Toolkits
Ridgewood Elementary
This project will provide fine motor kits for classrooms, benefiting more than 600 children. The kits include adaptive writing tools, hand-strengthening activities, manipulatives, and visual timers that help students develop hand strength, coordination, and dexterity. By providing daily access to these hands-on materials, the project will support school readiness, early writing skills, independence, confidence, and inclusive learning for the students.

 

 

 

Prose & Prototypes: Engineering Literacy Learning
Tharp Sixth Grade
This grant will provide Arrow students with robotics, coding, and engineering tools that connect hands-on STEM learning to literacy instruction. Using LEGO Spike Essential Kits, Hummingbird micro Kits, and Chompsaws, students will design, build, code, and test solutions to challenges they encounter as they read. The project helps students develop problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, and STEM skills across multiple subjects.. These reusable and durable materials will increase student engagement and provide hands-on learning opportunities for many years.

 

 

Voices In the Ink
Hilliard Darby High School and Heritage Middle School
Students from Darby High School and Heritage Middle School will work with local comic artist Dan Gerdeman to create graphic novels that share their personal stories and experiences. Through writing and art, students will learn storytelling skills, express their unique perspectives, and build empathy for others. Their work will be published in a collection and shared with the community during a celebration of culture, heritage, and storytelling.