OREGON EDUCATORS: SELCO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2023 SPARK! CREATIVE LEARNING GRANTS
Now in its 30th year, the annual SPARK! program awards grants up to $1,000 to K-12 educators across Oregon; More than $250,000 awarded in the past five years

SELCO Community Credit Union is calling for Oregon K-12 educators to apply for a 2023 SPARK! Creative Learning Grant. Now in its 30th year, the annual program awards as much as $1,000 to each recipient to fund innovative, educational, and impactful classroom projects across the 27 Oregon counties SELCO serves.

In 2022, SELCO awarded more than $54,000 to 60 educators across 55 Oregon schools. Funded projects included a library book overhaul at Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School in Eugene to replace aging books with new, engaging nonfiction (see the SELCO Spotlight Video on Chavez Elementary library books here). Other projects funded in 2022 included an “Electrathon” race team that built a single-passenger electric vehicle (Cottage Grove High School) and a program exploring the wonders of chemistry through art (Waldorf School of Bend).

“Now with 30 years of evidence, the SPARK! program shows what incredibly passionate educators we have throughout the state, and how their seemingly endless source of creativity can inspire a lifetime love of learning in their students,” said Craig Carpenter, SELCO’s senior vice president of lending and business banking. “As a credit union founded by teachers nearly 90 years ago, supporting education is part of our DNA. We’re honored to be able to help remove the financial obstacle for bringing these big classroom ideas to life, year after year.”

The application window will remain open from Aug. 15 to Sept. 30.

The SELCO SPARK! committee reviews applications based on project originality, proposal clarity, number of students affected, skill development, and diversity and impact of projects.

For more information about SELCO’s SPARK! Creative Learning Grants, to view past recipients, or to apply, visit www.selco.org/spark. For questions, please email spark@selco.org.