Staff & Student Grants
HSEF is rooted in innovation and the mission to bring the next best practices in education home to local students and teachers.
In 2024, Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation supported 46 grant proposals from HSE Schools staff and students. These projects totaled over $90,000 and impacted students from elementary through high school buildings across all 22 Hamilton Southeastern Schools.
Visit the past grant recipients page to see last school year’s winners.
We are seeking the best new ideas in education in any number of disciplines including, but not limited to, STEM, literacy, mental health, fitness and wellness, civics education, special education, and physical space. HSEF funding supports all local schools, central office, and departments such as school nursing, school counseling, food services, and transportation. In general, high value criteria include innovation, creativity, educational value, and student impact. Thanks to the local community investing time and generosity in our annual fundraisers and events, HSEF supports these initiatives through two grant cycles.
HSEF Grant Information
The grant committee uses a combination of objective and subjective criteria when evaluating grant applications including:
- Sustainability
- Student impact
- Educational value
- Innovation/Creativity
After each application deadline the selection committee, composed of teachers, district administrators, and community leaders, meets to determine recipients. This committee uses a combination of objective and subjective criteria when evaluating grant applications. Applications that clearly meet more criteria will generally be viewed more favorably during evaluation. In some instances, HSEF is not able to fund requests due to budgetary constraints. This does not mean that a rejected application is inappropriate or unsatisfactory.
Applicants must be an employee of Hamilton Southeastern Schools. Application requests need to correlate to a current learning standard, school improvement plan, or district initiative and directly benefit students.
Connect with Kristen Wolf for questions related to the application process or technical assistance. Follow HSEF on the below platforms for the latest information regarding our grant programs.
As of Fall 2025, HSEF does NOT provide funding for the following:
- Apparel
- Food/drinks for party or meeting
- Story walks
- Playgrounds
- Flexible Seating
- iPads/computers/TVs
- Benches
- Landscape/concrete work
- Greenhouses
- Sensory/calming rooms and/or materials
- Incentives or monetary prizes
- Basic classroom or student needs including books without an innovative program
- Courses taken by staff for credit toward a degree or advanced salary schedule
- Professional Development
- Compensation and benefits for employees or students
- Travel Expenses (including field trips)
- Student Club Expenses
- A repeat request for a previous project
- Decodable book sets must first be ran through Dr. Danielle Thompson
- ENL translation materials must first be ran through Danielle Riego
Grant recipients are expected to complete a final grant report by June 30th of the school year the grant was awarded.
Fall Staff Grant
Each fall, we welcome applications from HSE teachers and staff that support bringing new and innovative ideas to our classrooms and schools.
The Fall 2025 grant application deadline is 11:59 pm on September 18, 2025.
Ideas with Impact Grant
Beginning in Spring 2020, HSEF also implemented a new student-led grant program to support educational best practices to provide students with an opportunity to use their student voice and choice to create a relevant learning experience. This program has since been expanded to incorporate both student and staff authored grant application requests.
Community Grant Partners
Grant awards historically honored exemplary and innovative teaching. However, due to constraints in government funding for K-12 schools, the foundation has been called on to provide gap funding for basic educational needs as well.
HSEF is proud to partner with local organizations, businesses and private donors to leverage additional support for our schools that fall outside of our grant process. These partnerships demonstrate the enormous impact local philanthropy has on the community.
- Comprehensive Student Success Fund is dedicated to inspiring innovation specifically in comprehensive school counseling, equity and inclusion. School counseling encompasses a range of student success services including academic advising, college and career readiness, social emotional learning, and mental health support.
- Church Church Hittle & Antrim launched the annual Civics Education Fund in 2015. These funds are restricted to supporting education related to government, law, and citizenships. Examples include, but are not limited to, We the People and Mock Trial.
- Tri Kappa is a unique, local philanthropic organization that focuses on education. In 2015, the Fishers chapter began providing funding to HSEF. Each grant cycle, requests for support far exceed available funds. Tri Kappa has ensured far more of these proposals may be granted – ultimately impacting hundreds of local students.
- HSE Trustees Legacy Fund was created by current and past members of the Board of School Trustees for HSE Schools. These funds support a student led and student selected grant process. Criteria for the grant parameters would be based on the current year’s board district goals. Student awarded grants are typically under $500. Any faculty or staff member applying for these funds, but not selected, will automatically be considered for general Foundation funds.
