The Foundation for Allen Schools’ grant program for Allen ISD teachers and staff members is accepting applications until Feb. 10.
In a nutshell
The grant program, which opens every December, awards funds to teachers and classrooms across the district, foundation Director Regina Taylor said. The Foundation for Allen Schools is a nonprofit education foundation separate from Allen ISD with its own board of directors, according to its website.
Since it was established in 1997, the foundation has invested more than $4.2 million in Allen ISD. Some of that investment comes through the foundation’s educational grant opportunities for Allen ISD staff.
“To date, we’ve funded $2.2 million in grants,” Taylor said. “Those have gone from pre-K classrooms all the way up to high school.”
The details
In a typical year, the foundation will award between 75-90 grants, Taylor said. Last year, $150,223 was awarded to 82 recipients for the 2025-26 school year, according to the foundation’s website.
Grants can be awarded to individual teachers, or a group of teachers, a department, an individual campus or several campuses working together. The foundation has received grant applications from classroom teachers, PE teachers, music teachers and others, Taylor said.
“They come up with great ideas for helping them expand the learning experience in their classroom or on their campus,” she said.
How it works
Every year after applications close, a group of about 40 volunteers read through the grant applications, Taylor said. Those volunteers are made up of current and former foundation board members, retired teachers and parents.
Those volunteers are split into groups that will review a number of grant applications. Each volunteer has a rubric to score and grade grant applications, Taylor said. After the grants are scored, a committee makes recommendations to the foundation board of directors.
Board members decide in May what grants will be awarded and its announced before the end of the current school year, Taylor said. Grants are made possible from individual donors and fundraising events like the Allen ISD Eagle Run.
“We have donors—individuals and families—who specifically say ‘I want to fund a grant,’” Taylor said. “We have companies that want to help fund a grant, maybe in a certain field like math or science or fine arts.”
Looking ahead
Application grants are due Feb. 10, according to the foundation’s website. Grant awards for the 2026-27 school year are expected to be announced in May, Taylor said.
“Before the teachers and staff leave for summer, they know if they’ve been awarded a grant for the next school year,” Taylor said. “Then when they get back in August, their grant money is available to them.”
More information about the Foundation for Allen Schools and its grant programs can be found at www.allenisd.org/o/fas.