May 10, 2018
Contact: Judith Cebula
317.916.7327| cebulaj@lei.org
Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program
Invites Educators to Dream Big
INDIANAPOLIS – With the end of the school year quickly approaching for Indiana K-12 schools, Lilly Endowment Inc. is inviting educators to make time this summer to design personal renewal projects through the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program. Indiana teachers, principals, assistant principals, school counselors and media specialists can apply now through Sept. 1, 2018 for the 2019 Teacher Creativity Fellowships.
This year the Endowment is accepting all applications for Teacher Creativity Fellowships online. Educators can learn more about the online process and apply for a fellowship here.
The program, launched in 1987, offers 100 grants of $12,000 each. Renewal fellowship grants give educators the freedom to nurture personal interests and re-charge so they can strengthen their commitment to teaching, said Sara B. Cobb, the Endowment’s vice president for education.
“Educators do so much to engage and inspire their students. But because of the tremendous demands of the school year, educators have few opportunities to re-energize,” Cobb said. “Through more than 30 years of the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program we have learned that when teachers have meaningful experiences away from the classroom, they return with a renewed dedication to their education careers.”
The competitive program is open to licensed K-12 educators working in public and private schools across Indiana. Applicants must have at least three years of professional experience in education. Previous fellowship winners have pursued personal interests in scientific exploration, the arts and the natural world. Some have traveled around the world to understand the cultures reflected in their increasingly diverse student populations. Others have explored their own family histories through travel and research.
The Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program is part of the Endowment’s commitment to renewal programs for people who work in the nonprofit sector. The Endowment supports similar renewal programs for artists and arts administrators, pastors, youth workers and human service workers. Educators can apply for Teacher Creativity Fellowships here.
About Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family – J.K. Lilly Sr., and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. – through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.