Learning Links

Learning Links is sponsored by The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. This program offers mini-grants for public school teachers in specific Western North Carolina counties to help them provide "hands-on" creative learning projects to their students. The goal is to increase students' enthusiasm for learning and staying in school through graduation.

Projects should implement innovative, imaginative, and creative approaches to teaching that enrich the educational experience and directly relate to academic improvement.

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina | Learning Links Black Mountain - Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund The Fund for Haywood County The Fund for Mitchell County Rutherford County Endowment Black Mountain - Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund The Fund for Haywood County The Fund for Mitchell County Rutherford County Endowment Charitable Gift Annuities Charitable Remainder Trusts Nonprofit Organization Funds Investments & Financial Information Professional Advisory Committee Annual Professional Seminar Frequently Asked Questions School Resources & Scholarship Deadlines Immediate Emergency Needs Cultural Resources Recent Grants Human Services Recent Grants Natural Resources Recent Grants Investments & Financial Information News, Publications & Stories Deadline: Last Friday in September The Learning Links program offers mini grants up to $1,000 for public school teachers in Avery, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary to help them provide "hands-on" creative learning projects to their students.

The goal of this program is to increase students' enthusiasm for learning and staying in school through graduation. These grants are made possible by the Ben W. and Dixie Glenn Farthing Charitable Endowment Fund, the Cherokee County Schools Foundation Endowment Fund, and other funds held at CFWNC.

Learn more about the Farthing Legacy . Learning Links projects must: Involve students in projects of a "hands-on" nature. It is desirable that these experiential learning activities take place in settings beyond the classroom or in a learning environment that is unlike their normal daily classroom instruction.

Implement innovative, imaginative and creative approaches to teaching that enrich the educational experience. Be aligned with the classroom's current curriculum. Directly relate to the academic improvement of students.

Projects can serve a single classroom, grade level, or entire school. Individual teachers can apply for up to $1,000 only. If teachers are working together on a group project which will serve a set of classrooms or a school-wide activity or club, they can apply as a group and request up to $1,000 per teacher/classroom.

Projects that have been funded previously will be reconsidered on their own merits each year they are submitted. There is no limit to the number of applications that may be submitted from each school. Each application must be submitted by the lead teacher/project coordinator and approved by the school principal to be considered.

The deadline to apply is 5 p. m. on the last Friday in September.

Grant funds will be available for funded projects by the end of November, and grant funds should be spent by June 1. If a deadline date is on a holiday, the deadline is 5 p. m.

the next business day. Learning Links grants are offered to public schools in the following Western North Carolina counties: Avery, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford and Swain and the Qualla Boundary. Learning Links grants do not support anything other than "hands-on" creative learning projects for public school classrooms in the counties specified above.

Grants may not pay teachers or staff, and cannot be used to purchase basic school equipment such as computers or furniture. Grants also do not support activities taking place or expenses incurred before grant decisions are made. 1.

Access Community Foundation Staff Assistance If you would like to discuss your proposal or have questions regarding eligibility, contact Amber Harrelson-Williams , Scholarship Officer, by email or at 828-367-9916. 2. Submit a Grant Application Begin the online application process to submit a grant application.

The online application is available beginning in early August and must be completed by 5 p. m. on the date of the deadline.

For technical assistance with the online grant system, please contact Diane Crisp , Senior Grants Manager, by email or at 828-367-9904. The online system notifies applicants by email upon receipt of their application. Staff screens applications for completeness, clarity, and compliance with eligibility requirements.

Grant proposals are evaluated by a volunteer committee, and funding recommendations are approved by CFWNC. Funding decisions are announced in November. Applicants must submit an online end-of-grant report verifying use of grant funds and results.

Instructions will be included in the grant award letter. We may also require additional reports or site visits. For additional information, download Recent Grants .