National Signature Project Award

The National Rural Education Association and Rural Schools Collaborative are proud partners of the the National Signature Project Award, a $2,500 grant to an outstanding and innovative classroom project that exemplifies the very best in place-based education. The National Signature Project Award is open to any rural classroom teacher in the United States.

In addition to the maximum award of $2,500, Rural Schools Collaborative and National Rural Education Association will compensate the awardee's travel and registration fees for attendance to The 2023 National Forum to Advance Rural Education - happening in Chattanooga, Tennessee on November 15-17, 2023.

Teachers currently working in a rural school district will be considered for this grant opportunity. Rural schools are defined as non-urban, non-metro, or 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).

Thank you to the National Rural Education Association for co-sponsoring this program. NREA is the nation's oldest rural education organization, and we are honored to partner with them in this effort.

The National Rural Education Association and Rural Schools Collaborative are proud to announce Lara Belice, a lead teacher at Cooke City School, Cooke City, Montana, as the 2022 National Signature Project Award recipient for her place-based project, "U.S. History Through a Bison Lens."

This year, for the first time and due to the vast amount of incredible place-based education project proposals received, Rural Schools Collaborative and the National Rural Education Association have chosen to award two additional rural teachers with $1,500 toward their individual place-based education projects as National Signature Project Award runner-ups: Abby Jones and her project, "Flavors & Foliage - An International Greenhouse at Our School” as well as Christina Robinson and her project, "R.U.R.A.L. from Farm to Fork." Learn more about their projects taking place during the 2022-23 school year.

Lara Belice (Cooke City, MT); Abby Jones (Gibbon, NE); Chris Robinson (Lynn, IN)

Check out the 2021-22 National Signature Project Award Winner:

Last year, Haley Salitros Lancaster of Lincoln High School in Vincennes, Indiana was the National Signature Project Award winner with her place-based project, "Building and Sharing Community Knowledge." This place-based education project funded an installation of a wayside on park property that was entirely researched and designed by her students. We invite you to learn more about Haley’s award winning project here.

Check out previous winners' projects:

• 2021 Winner Haley Salitros Lancaster
• 2020 Winner Connie Michael
• 2019 Winner Devon Barker-Hicks
• 2018 Winner Andrea Wood

About the National Signature Project Award:

The National Signature Project is part of the Rural Schools Collaborative Grants in Place program, a multi-organizational effort that has awarded more than $400,000 to teachers in support of place-based learning since 2015. We encourage you to apply for the prestigious award!