Achieve Supports the Work of District Educators

The Achieve Foundation values its collaboration with all educators in the School District of South Orange & Maplewood.  Each year, Achieve awards Teacher Grants, Administrator Grants, and Riecke Teaching Fellowships to worthy applicants. Funding requests we receive from educators inform our program development and fundraising to best serve our mission of maximizing teaching and learning. Teachers may also request Achieve Volunteer Tutors for struggling students, lead tutor training sessions, serve as school tutoring site supervisors, or participate in planning events such as Maker Madness. Achieve welcomes your ideas!

Teacher and Administrator Grants

The Deborah M. Prinz Administrator Grants: Renamed in 2018 to honor Achieve founder Deborah Prinz upon her retirement from the organization, these grants are awarded to district administrators for special projects that benefit a school, grade level or department. Ideas for application areas include Professional Development, STEAM, Access and Equity, and initiatives in preparation for redistricting.

This year, Administrators may apply in early fall with an October 27th deadline. Monies will be awarded in late November.

Teacher Grants: Achieve’s hallmark program inspires teachers to propose innovative projects that will have an impact on the learning experience for their students. Some grants have been catalysts for innovation in the academic program. Any educator in the district may apply for any, with proposals being reviewed by Achieve’s grants committee. Team and interdisciplinary projects are welcome.

Note the new grants schedule for 2019-20: the Teacher Grant application will open in April and remain open through the end of the school year.  Awards will be made early in the fall of 2020 so that funds may be used for the entire school year.

See a list of all 2018-19 Teacher Grants HERE.

Achieve’s grant applications are easy to complete, and help and advice are available. All proposals must be approved by the applicant’s principal or supervisor and received by the deadline to be considered. Educators may apply as often as they wish, evaluations of prior grants must be submitted before new applications are considered.

DIRECT FUNDING OF GRANTS:  After Achieve allocates its funds for Grant awards in the fall, the community is invited to increase the amount granted. Through this Direct Funding process, donors can contribute any amount toward any project on the list of approved grants that were not fully funded. Over the past two school years, Direct Funding generated nearly $45,000 of additional support for technology programs, science labs, musical instruments, school gardens, maker spaces, and much more.

Summer Professional Development – Riecke Teaching Fellowship

The Michelle T. Riecke Fellowship supports educators in the SO/M school district who seek to enhance their teaching abilities by funding professional development experiences which introduce new knowledge to use in traditional classroom settings and beyond. To maximize the impact of the fellowship, Riecke recipients are required to share what they have learned with their colleagues. The program has provided nearly $80,000 in fellowships between 2004 and 2019.

The Michelle T. Riecke Teaching Fellowship aims to:

• Nurture the passion for learning among SO/M educators.
• Inspire innovative and creative teaching practices in the classroom setting and beyond.
• Encourage the exchange of new ideas, strategies and materials among educators to maximize the benefit to students.

The 2020 Riecke Grant application will be open from January 13th – February 21st! 

Fellowships are awarded to individuals (up to $3,000) and teaching teams (up to $5,000). The number of grants and total amount awarded is determined each year based on the merits of the proposals received and the availability of funds.

In an effort to better coordinate summer professional development opportunities with upcoming PD planned by the SO-M District, Riecke Fellowships may be restricted in certain areas. Teachers interested in funding for any of the following should contact Eileen Neri at Achieve before applying for any of the following programs:  Equity Training, Mindfulness, Advanced Placement Programs or Teachers College Summer Reading and Writing Institute.

Administrator Grants Awarded:

$97,500

for 27 grants since 2004

Teacher Grants Awarded:

$992,000

for 1,003 grants since 1999

Reicke Fellowships:

$82,000

for 66 educators since 2004

Achieve Volunteer Tutor Program

Achieve’s acclaimed tutoring program improves the academic performance of children who are struggling with their schoolwork, by pairing them with adult and peer volunteers. Begun in 1997, the initiative based on the notion that free tutoring, offered by trained volunteers, might help many children, who otherwise would not be able to afford this service, to advance toward their full academic potential. District teachers refer students, who they believe would benefit from the help of a volunteer tutor.

Last year, over 350 adult volunteer and student tutors were trained to assist more than 350 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Achieve’s tutors help students overcome academic challenges and gain confidence. Moreover, the students who serve as Achieve tutors reinforce their own learning and develop leadership skills. Achieve’s Volunteer Tutor Program coordinator, Amy Forman, ably manages the program and arranges tutor-tutee matches. Teachers in the school district lead required training workshops and supervise tutoring sites in district schools.

Testimonials