TwinStar Credit Union has started giving away Classroom Cash grants to teachers from kindergarten through fifth grade, with $80,000 available to 400 applicants across Washington and Oregon.
The application period started on Aug. 15 and will last until Sept. 30. Recipients will be notified by Nov. 15.
Since the grant program started in 2000, $698,963.06 has been awarded to teachers across Washington and Oregon, according to a TwinStar news release.
This will be the second year that the program is also available in Oregon, as the TwinStar Community Foundation has expanded its reach through the merger between TwinStar Credit Union and Northwest Community Credit Union in 2023.
The program is built on TwinStar’s belief that “well-fed kids create well-fed minds,” the release stated, and is one initiative to support communities, in addition to initiatives such as paying down school lunch debt.
For more information, visit shorturl.at/J504m.
A local example of Classroom Cash grants in action is Kim Roberts, a fifth grade teacher at Jefferson Lincoln Elementary in Centralia. She uses her Classroom Cash to support her students’ creative writing. The class makes a story together by each sharing a sentence, forming a book by the end. She is then able to publish it in both English and Spanish using Classroom Cash funds, so each student can get a copy of the book they helped write.
The following requirements must be met in order for the application to be considered, according to the TwinStar website:
• The applicant must be a permanent teacher, counselor or librarian for K-fifth grade in Washington or Oregon. Substitute teachers, assistant teachers, paraprofessionals, principals and administrative staff are not eligible.
• The applicant must be a member in good standing with TwinStar Credit Union or Northwest Community Credit Union.
• Complete all contact information on the application, and the name must match the name on the applicant’s credit union account.
• The applicant must use their school email address to qualify.
• Any awards will be processed through the school district only.
• The first 400 eligible applications will be awarded.
• Recipients are eligible for one award per school year.
For more information, or to apply for a grant, visit shorturl.at/2ERbu.
