Celebrate A Decade of School Grants With an Annual Gift to GDEF!

Groton Dunstable Education Foundation recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary of raising funds for enrichment grants to all district schools, and just kicked off this year's Annual Giving Campaign (AGC) with a mailing to past donors, school families and area businesses. Thanks to the generous support from the community, last year's campaign helped fund 40 grants totaling more than $31K. Due to a shortage of volunteer resources, GDEF is taking a hiatus from fundraising events like its Octoberfest 5K road race this school year and is counting solely on donations to the AGC to continue to provide the same level of support for students and teachers.

GDEF asks Groton and Dunstable residents to consider investing in our local public schools by making a gift online at www.gdefinc.org, or by returning the donation form they receive in the mail. Funds raised through the AGC go directly toward funding grants in 2014.

To better accommodate staff and community members who wish to apply for grants, GDEF is now accepting applications for mini-grants up to $500 on a rolling basis through April 2014. The annual cycle for grants over $500 is also now open - applications are due by Jan. 31, 2104, and grants will be awarded in March.

GDEF is pleased to announce it has awarded three new mini-grants this fall.

Two high school English teachers each received professional development grants, allowing them to bring fresh new ideas and practices into their classrooms through attendance at national conventions for Journalism and English teachers in Boston. A GDEF grant will bring a "Readers' Theater" enrichment program to all Florence Roche second graders, helping them improve reading fluency and comprehension. For a complete list of grants to all district schools, or to apply for a grant, visit www.gdefinc.org, and be sure to sign up for GDEF's Email newsletter.