Innovative
Teaching Grants
About the Innovative Teaching Grants Program
Miami-Dade County Public Schools Foundation’s Innovative Teaching Grants Program provides teachers with funding to bring creative educational projects to life in Miami-Dade County Public Schools Pre-K through Grade 12 schools, including alternative schools, primary learning centers, and specialized centers.
Projects must introduce engaging approaches to learning, support academic achievement, and positively impact students through classroom-based activities or before- and after-school enrichment programs.
The Foundation awards nine grants of $3,000 each- three within each of the District’s three regions-for a total of $27,000 in annual funding. Each school may submit one teacher-led application.
Grant funds may be used for educational materials, equipment, field trips, admission fees, bus rentals, and supplies, but not personnel expenses. All expenditures must follow applicable Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) policies and procedures.
Applications are grouped by region. A review
committee will score and rank applications and the three (3) highest-ranked applications per region will be awarded.
The review committee is comprised of Miami-Dade County Public Schools Foundation Board Members, members of the community, district staff from the Office of Grants Administration, School Operations, and the Office of Community Engagement, and school-site
representatives.
2026-2027 Mini-Grant Competition for Schools
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Foundation, we are pleased to inform you that YOU have been selected to receive a $3,000 grant under the Mini Grant Competition for M-DCPS Schools.
The review committee consisted of ten (10) members of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools community, including a school-site representative, a District/School Operations administrator, and Grants Administration and Community Engagement administrators. Applications were grouped by Region and each application was reviewed and scored by the review committee.
South Region:
- Hammocks Middle – Lois Seaman – “Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability”
- Southwood Middle – Vivian Ventura – “Keep Southwood Sounding Sweet: Cello Repair Initiative”
- South Dade Sr. – Mark Godinez – “Academy of IT & AI Collaborative Studio: Fusing Technology and Marketing Through STEAM”
Central Region:
- iTech @ Thomas Edison – Dr. Ledly Moss – “CyberForge: Building Future Cyber Defenders Through Networking, AI, and Competitive Cybersecurity Excellence”
- Jesse J. McCrary’s – Elani Walters – “Dolphin Discovery Lab”
- Lillie C. Evans – Latrice Bethea – “Virtual Reality Science Lab”
North Region:
- Lawton Chiles Middle – Yania Ramirez – “Food Science & Culinary Innovation Grant”
- Miami Lakes K-8 Center – Rachael Rhodes – “Safe Seats for String Readers”
- North Glade Elementary – Jasmine Hart – “Living Literature Lab: A Differentiated Student-Centered Approach to Gifted Learning”
