Lilly Endowment is pleased to announce the 39th round of its Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program (TCFP). This program supports K-12 educators throughout Indiana by providing resources for them to take time for meaningful renewal. We believe that through new experiences, exploration and reflection educators can generate renewed energy in their careers, innovative approaches to teaching and educational leadership, and thoughtful ways to encourage students’ creative thinking. TCFP renewal projects are not intended to be typical vacations, rather they are meant to be intentional experiences that restore educators’ enthusiasm for their profession and stimulate their creativity, which should in turn enhance the educational experiences of their students.
The Endowment expects to award approximately 125 teacher creativity grants, each totaling up to $15,000, in 2026. Fellowship grant periods will be for 18 months. Each proposal should include activities that are intellectually enriching and personally renewing and that provide opportunities for exploration and fulfillment that would otherwise not be possible. Proposals are due by 6 p.m. (ET) on Monday, September 8, 2025.
To be competitive, each project proposal should:
- Be clearly written and well organized.
- Illustrate how the applicant will experience meaningful renewal through the completion of activities that include growth opportunities and are intellectually stimulating or personally challenging.
- Demonstrate sufficient planning and research to develop a realistic timeline and budget.
View the 2026 TCFP Request for Proposals.
Eligibility
Full-time education professionals in the following areas who are employed in Indiana’s traditional public schools, charter schools and private schools were eligible to apply:
- K-12 classroom teachers of any subjects
- Principals and assistant principals
- Librarians and media specialists
- School counselors and psychologists
- School social workers
- Speech-language pathologists
- Instructional coaches
Information Sessions
The Endowment will host four virtual information sessions to review the request for proposals and details of how to submit a proposal. If interested in attending, please select one of the dates below.
How to Apply
All required proposal documents (listed on page 6 of the RFP) must be combined into a single PDF and submitted through the online Proposal Cover Form below no later than 6 p.m. (ET) on Monday, September 8, 2025. Please note that the form does not allow for applicants to save their information and return at a later time, so the Endowment recommends previewing the form before submitting the proposal.
Questions about TCFP?
Review the 2026 FAQs or email us at teachercreativity@lei.org.
Help spread the word: Access our Publicity Toolkit with resources for individuals to help reach eligible educators about this opportunity.