Rural Schools Collaborative Receives Grant to Expand Place-Based Education in Rural Communities

Rural Schools Collaborative is honored to receive a three-year grant from the Bezos Family Foundation to expand the Grants in Place program. This grant will support 100 innovative Place-Based Education (PBE) projects over the next three years to connect rural classrooms to their communities.

Since its inception in 2015, the Grants in Place program has facilitated more than $700,000 to 200+ rural teachers engaging in Place-Based Education. While 1 in 5 students attend rural schools nationally, only 7% of philanthropy has historically reached rural communities. Underpinned by the Teton Science Schools’ Place-Based Education framework, these projects strengthen the bonds between community and classroom, and increase student engagement and teacher satisfaction.

Rural Schools Collaborative is committed to fostering equitable educational opportunities for all students, and are excited to partner with the Bezos Family Foundation to increase support to rural classrooms.

Grants in Place: Deep Roots in Community

Over the last 10 years, many committed regional funders, local businesses, and caring individuals contributed to develop the Grants in Place program. The early model for Grants in Place grew out of the Rural Schools Partnership at the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, and has since received support from the Galesburg Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, the National Rural Education Association, North Dakota Small and Organized Schools, Roundhouse Foundation, Compeer Financial, the Patterson Family Foundation, Mark and Celia Godsil, and Dr. Steven L. Johnson.

These rural classroom projects are made possible through Rural Schools Collaborative’s Regional Hub Network, where local partners connect local rural teacher-leaders to the Grants in Place program. “Grants in Place has offered teachers around west-central Illinois the opportunity not only to do meaningful projects in their communities, but to feel celebrated and part of something bigger through national connections with other rural educators,” shared Dr. Tammy La Prad, RSC Illinois Hub Lead at Monmouth College and RSC Board member.

Rural schools are particularly well-suited to engage with Place-Based Education, exploring local assets and relevant learning. The 2025 cohort of Grants in Place Awardees showcased the diversity in geography, grade level, and project topics across the country. Rural students explored local knowledge through oral history, deepened their understanding of local ecology, painted community murals, and addressed food insecurity.

One such project came from Dayan Ospitia and Alejandro Amaya, of Harnett County, North Carolina. They led a project which engaged the growing English language learner communities in rural North Carolina through family-led activities that celebrated their cultural contributions. Students and their families collaborated on activities such as cooking demonstrations, traditional games, storytelling, gardening, and craft-making.

Building the Next Chapter

Support from the Bezos Family Foundation builds on the grassroots legacy of Grants in Place, while expanding the reach and impact to empower rural educators. The three year $600,000 grant will expand the program through three key goals:

1. Expand access to Place-Based Projects by funding 100 rural classroom projects across the country. Each of these Place-Based Education projects, led by rural educators and their students, will connect rural classrooms to their respective communities.
   
   

2. Build Rural Teacher Professional Cohorts: In partnership with Teton Science Schools, participating teachers will engage in learning about Place-Based Education, with expanded opportunities for collaboration and idea-sharing with peer rural educators.
   
   

3. Measure and Celebrate Impact through national spotlights of rural student, teacher, and community projects, alongside an early impact study to strengthen program design.

While challenges persist in rural education, the expansion of this work allows for more empowered teachers, more engaged students, and more communities connected to their local schools. As one Grants in Place alum, Haley Lancaster of Vincennes, IN, puts it:

Rural teachers are community leaders and powerful agents of change. As RSC celebrates 10 years of collaborative impact, we are excited to launch this next chapter of Grants in Place.