The Grants in Place Program was first announced by Rural Schools Collaborative in April 2015. The program’s mission is to award classroom grants to rural teachers interested in carrying out an innovative place-based education project with their students and communities. Place-Based Education is an essential approach for rural classrooms, purposefully connecting learning and communities to increase student engagement, academic outcomes, and community impact.

The inaugural year of the Grants in Place Program was made possible by initial funding support from the John and Mary Cooper Charitable Fund, Rural Conservation Fund, the South Dakota Innovation Lab, and the Rural Schools Partnership at Community Foundation of the Ozarks. After an incredible amount of viable applications, the Founding Board Members of RSC began outreach for additional support. What started as a $10,000 commitment grew to more than $30,000 in total funding. With the additional funding, Rural Schools Collaborative’s inaugural Grants in Place program was able to fund 35 innovative place-based education projects from seven different states.

As Rural Schools Collaborative Regional Hub Network expanded, the program became a way to support teachers within each regional hub, strengthening ties between regional education institutions, local philanthropy, and classrooms. In the decade since it began, Grants in Place continues to grow.. To date, Grants in Place has connected over $700,000 to 200+ educators.

Rural Schools Collaborative is grateful to caring historical Grants in Place funders who have grown the project over the years, including the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the Galesburg Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, NREA, North Dakota Small and Organized Schools, Roundhouse Foundation, Compeer Financial, Mark & Celia Godsil, Dr. Steven L. Johnson, and the Patterson Family Foundation.

In 2025, Rural Schools Collaborative received 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.

The goal of Grants in Place is to support projects that connect students to their local place. Our partners at Teton Science Schools describe the Place-based Education framework as: "An approach that connects learners and communities to increase student engagement, boost learning outcomes, impact communities and promote understanding of the world around us." To learn more about Place-Based Education, its principles and benefits, and how your project can be rooted in place, we invite you to visit the Teton Science Schools PBE primer.

For inspiration and examples of past projects, please see the following examples from previous years:

• 2024-25

• 2023-24

• 2022-23

• 2021-22

• 2020-21

• 2019-20

• 2018-19

• 2017-18

• 2016-17

• 2015-16

Following the completion of each grant cycle, participating Grants in Place teachers come together to celebrate the learning that their projects inspired. These final presentations celebrate the students’ place-based education projects, and offer a chance for the broader community to get inspired and learn from one another.

We invite you to explore the archive of Celebration of Learning events:

• 2024-25 Celebration of Learning

• 2023-24 Celebration of Learning

• 2022-23 Celebration of Learning

• 2021-22 Celebration of Learning

• 2020-21 Celebration of Learning

1. What are the eligibility requirements for participating teachers?

To qualify for the Grants in Place Program, teachers must be currently working in a rural school district to be considered for this grant opportunity. Rural areas fall under one of six categories of the National Center for Educational Statistics classification (you can confirm that your school is eligible by checking your Locale Number to match 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43). We encourage applicants from or serving historically underrepresented communities to apply. Only one application may be submitted per project.

2. How are grants selected?

A selection committee reviews all grant applications based on how well they answer the following questions:

How well does the project incorporate principles of Place-Based Education?

1. How well does the project incorporate principles of Place-Based Education?

2. How does the project promote student-led creation and involvement in all stages?

3. How effectively does the project connect learning to the local community, drawing upon unique local assets, stakeholders, and opportunities?

4. How realistic is the budget and scope of the project for the award and time allotted?

3. When can I apply?

The application is typically open from around Labor Day to mid-fall. These dates fluctuate year-to-year, so be sure to subscribe to our newsletter, follow our social media, and check back on this page for specific dates.

4. I’ve applied and/or received a grant from RSC previously. Am I still eligible to apply?

In short– yes! If you are a previous recipient of an RSC grant award you are not eligible the year immediately following your participation in the Grants in Place program (e.g. if you received an award during the 2024-25 school year, you are not eligible for 2025-26 grant cycle, but you are eligible for the 2026-27 cycle).

5. Are there other stipulations?

Selections are limited to one total award per school; multiple teachers from a school may join together under a single application.

Anyone from the same school as a current or previous grant recipient is eligible to apply to be awarded in the subsequent grant cycle (e.g. your coworker is currently a 2025-26 recipient, you are eligible to apply in the 2026-27 grant cycle).

6. When will applicants be notified of a final award decision?

The grant selection committee meets after the grant applications close and deliberates in October and November. The cohort is announced each December.

7. What else is required of me?

All selected educators will be required to:

1. Participate in two virtual calls, which include a project check-in, professional development session around Place-Based Education, and cohort discussions focused on the progress of the projects

2. Share photos, updates and information about project that may be used for RSC storytelling

3. Attend the virtual Celebration of Learning, which will take place at the conclusion of the school year. This event provides an opportunity to share project outcomes and celebrate rural teacher innovation alongside peers and partners from across the country