Areas of Study

Grants are available to Pre-K through 12th-grade classrooms, in eligible public school districts, for projects that provide students with a significant opportunity to enhance their learning experience in the following areas of study: 1) STEM, 2) Literacy, 3) Arts & Culture and 4) History 

*Please note the following:  

• No virtual or distance learning projects will be considered for funding.  
• Requests to support Accelerated Reader must be supplemented with activities and/or curricula that go beyond the traditional AR approach. 

Each classroom can apply for up to $5,000.

Eligibility

Public schools (grades Pre-K through 12) located in the counties and corresponding school districts below are eligible to apply.  

Eligible counties: Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Caddo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Coal, Greer, Harmon, Haskell, Jackson, Johnston, Kiowa, Latimer, McCurtain, McIntosh, Okfuskee, Pushmataha, Tillman, Washita

Specifically, the following school districts are eligible to apply:

• Adair County: Cave Springs, Dahlonegah, Greasy, Maryetta, Peavine, Rocky Mountain, Stilwell, Watts, Westville, Zion
• Atoka County: Atoka, Caney, Harmony, Lane, Stringtown, Tushka
• Bryan County: Achille, Bennington, Caddo, Colbert, Rock Creek, Silo
• Caddo County: Binger-Oney, Apache, Carnegie, Cement, Cyril, Fort Cobb-Broxton, Gracemont, Hinton, Lookeba-Sickles
• Cherokee County: Briggs, Grand View, Hulbert, Keys, Lowrey, Norwood, Peggs, Shady Grove, Tenkiller, Woodall
• Choctaw County: Boswell, Fort Towson, Hugo, Soper
• Coal County: Coalgate, Cottonwood, Tupelo
• Greer County: Granite, Lakeside
• Harmon County: Hollis
• Haskell County: Keota, Kinta, McCurtain, Whitefield
• Jackson County: Blair, Duke, Navajo, Olustee-Eldorado
• Johnston County: Coleman, Mannsville, Milburn, Mill Creek, Ravia, Tishomingo, Wapanucka
• Kiowa County: Lone Wolf, Mountain View-Gotebo, Snyder
• Latimer County: Buffalo Valley, Panola, Red Oak
• McCurtain County: Battiest, Denison, Eagletown, Forest Grove, Glover, Haworth, Holly Creek, Lukfata, Smithville, Valliant, Wright City
• McIntosh County: Eufaula, Hanna, Ryal, Stidham
• Okfuskee County: Bearden, Graham-Dustin, Mason, Okemah, Paden, Weleetka
• Pushmataha County: Albion, Antlers, Clayton, Moyers, Nashoba, Rattan, Tuskahoma
• Tillman County:  Davidson, Grandfield, Oklahoma Youth Academy, Tipton
• Washita County: Burns Flat-Dill City, Canute, Sentinel

Application Process

Step 1 – Request Access to the Official Application 

To gain access to the online application, all potential applicants must email info@ruraloklahoma.org no later than 5:00 pm on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 with the information below:  

1. The name of the applicant’s school and school district  

2. The school’s physical address 

3. The name and title of the applicant 

4. A brief 1-2 paragraph summary of the proposed project. As part of your summary, please explain how your project enhances traditional academic curriculum and include the grade levels and approximate number of students that will directly benefit from the project. 

Step 2 – Complete and Submit an Official Application 

If your request to access an official application is approved, you will receive an email with an access code and link to the online application.

Note: We advise that applicants request access as early as possible to ensure enough time is available to submit a well-developed and complete proposal.  

Reporting

Grantees will be required to submit a midterm and final evaluation report via our online grants platform.

Limitations

Funding for the following items will generally not be supported unless essential to the success of the project: 

• Office equipment or furniture
• Computers (including Chromebooks), SMART boards, projectors, televisions, iPads, hot spots, or any hardware designed for virtual/distance learning 
• Athletic, extracurricular or service-learning activities or equipment 
• Videos or DVDs 

Resources

The goal of the Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation Classroom Enhancement Grant program is to enhance the classroom experience for rural students by providing opportunities designed to enrich traditional curriculum. The resources below offer a variety of ideas and opportunities in the program’s three focus areas that we hope will assist you in developing your project.

Recent Grants

Canute Public Schools (Washita County)
Reading in the Wild
$2,000 to support an interactive reading and learning opportunity about nature and wildlife.

Cement Public Schools (Caddo County)
Improving the Accelerated Reader program
$3,000 to add and update books for the library’s Accelerated Reader program.

Fort Cobb Broxton Public Schools (Caddo County)
Aquaponics System Research
$4,050 to support aquaponics research to expand students’ agricultural literacy and enhance STEM learning.

Granite Public Schools (Greer County)
Ready to Succeed Initiative
$1,000 to purchase tested reading materials for each classroom setting.

Keys Public Schools (Cherokee County)
Paintings and Ceramic Art
$1,000 to purchase acrylic paints and canvases for students to paint and display at the school.

Lowrey Public School District (Cherokee County)
Students Tumble for Literacy
$1,600 to purchase a collection of interactive eBooks and enhance students’ learning opportunities.

Mannsville School (Johnston County)
ABC’s at My Fingertips
$1,000 to purchase auditory and kinesthetic learning activities for special education students.

Navajo Public Schools (Jackson County)
Stories for Students
$1,000 to purchase fiction books for fourth-grade classrooms.