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Ideally, a district will be able to cover the cost of a seminar out of its own professional development budget. Alternatively, it might work out a cost-sharing arrangement with a local college or university. In these tight times, however, outside support may be necessary. Below are a series of funding sources that might provide support for toolbox seminars. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Through its Humanities Focus Grant Program, the National Endowment for the Humanities offers twelve- to eighteen-month grants of up to $25,000 that, among other things, "enable school teachers and college and university faculty to engage in collaborative study of important texts in the humanities." A toolbox seminar would qualify for this support. To learn more about the Focus Grant Program, visit the Web site shown below. For larger, more ambitious projects that might use seminar toolboxes to study American culture, a district can apply to the NEH's "We the People" initiative. It offers support for a wide range of undertakings, including "educational projects for every level, K-16." Teacher professional development projects are included. Visit the following Web site to learn more. NEH-Sponsored State Humanities Councils Many of the state-based humanities councils sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities fund summer institutes and seminars for teachers. A National Humanities Center toolbox seminar might be eligible for such support in your state. You can learn about the programs and funding possibilities offered by your state's humanities council through the following Web site. (The National Humanities Center is not affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities or its state-based councils.) The U.S. Department of Education's Teaching American History Grants Program School districts may obtain support for teacher professional development initiatives in American history through the U.S. Department of Education's Teaching American History Grants Program (TAH). Districts must collaborate with such partner organizations as colleges, universities, museums, or centers for advanced study. The National Humanities Center qualifies in the last category, and its toolbox seminars meet all the TAH program's requirements. (A school district in North Carolina received a major three-year grant through a TAH proposal built around the Center's toolbox seminars.) To learn more about the Teaching American History Grants Program, please visit: The National Education Association's Foundation for the Improvement of Education Each year the NEA's Foundation for the Improvement of Education awards up to seventy-five Learning and Leadership Grants ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. These awards can be used to give teachers the opportunity "to participate in a high-quality professional development experience or organize a collegial study group that leads to improvements in practice, curriculum, and student achievement in the school or university." The Center's toolbox seminars are eligible for such support. To learn more about this program, visit the NFIE Web site. Private Funders Toolbox seminars—with their innovative use of technology, their combination of content study and pedagogy, and their school-university collaboration—often make appealing funding opportunities for local corporations and foundations. Just as it can help to solicit support from governmental agencies, the Center can provide assistance with private funding initiatives.
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