Maxwell/Hanrahan Award Grows Grants In Place Program
Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation supports rural teacher classrooms through RSC's Grants in Place program.
Rural Schools Collaborative is honored to announce additional support for the Grants in Place program through the generosity of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation. With a two-year $60,0000 award, Rural Schools Collaborative will expand support for rural public school teachers and their communities through place-based grants.
“RSC staff and board extend our sincere gratitude to the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation for their consideration and support of rural teachers," says Cyrus Driver, Chair, Rural Schools Collaborative Board of Directors. "More rural educators will now have resources to create meaningful, community-connected learning experiences for their students.”
About Grants in Place:
Rural Schools Collaborative’s Grants in Place program funds rural teacher classroom grants for local Place-Based Education projects. These grant projects are a vote of confidence for innovative rural teachers, and deepen student agency and connection to their place.
Since Grants in Place’s inception in 2015, more than $700,000 in awards have supported rural teacher Place-Based Education projects. Covering all subjects and ages, these small-but-mighty classroom grants of up to $2,500 have outsized impact, by:
- Increasing student engagement;
- Elevating teacher leadership; and
- Promoting rural school and community connections.
In collaboration with RSC’s Regional Hub Network partners across the country, selected rural teacher grantees participate in a virtual learning cohort– sharing lessons learned, deepening their Place-Based Education practice through professional development, and coming together at an end of year Celebration of Learning to spotlight their local projects.
From the Field:
As one Ohio 2026 Grants in Place teacher, Jennifer Buckler, shared,
“Projects like [these] teach more than just science or business skills. They teach patience, collaboration, problem-solving, and stewardship. They also teach students how to love the place they are from. The community has become an extension of our classroom. Our students learn from engineers, farmers, artists, entrepreneurs, and neighbors who are all invested in their success.”
Thank you again to the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation for this generous award! Additional support and guidance for Grants in Place comes from Teton Science Schools, RSC’s Regional Hub Network, and regional collaboration of many caring individuals and funding partners. For more information, please contact [email protected].
The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation supports individuals who explore and ask through fieldwork in natural sciences, create and captivate as they promote commitment in craft, teach and try as they support students in public education, and conserve and connect as they encourage care for our food systems and natural world. Learn more about the Foundation’s partners and work at www.Maxwell-Hanrahan.org.