Close to $50,000 will be made available to support new equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) programs in the Eau Claire Area School District, through a new grant program announced this past week by the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation (ECPSF).
With support from the Pablo Foundation, the program will fund value-added grants to support new EDI initiatives in the schools. It was developed in response to community and nationwide interest in preventing or overcoming racial injustice and systemic racism, particularly in schools, according to a press release from the ECPSF.
Grant applications will be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis. The new funding will supplement the ECPSF’s annual classroom grant cycle and is intended to support the school district’s priorities and initiatives.
In March, the Board of Education adopted an Equity Statement setting forth its commitment to dismantle systemic barriers in the schools. EDI grants can support programs such as visits from diverse authors and artists, social justice classroom books, innovative racial studies field trips and staff professional development, according to the press release.
MaiVue Xiong, the Pablo Foundation’s executive director, said that funding the new program directly reflects the foundation’s “initiative to foster equity and inclusion through its support of education.
“We are excited about the ECASD’s Equity Statement, and it is our hope that these grants will give educators the opportunity to bring unique projects highlighting EDI into the classrooms where funding previously posed as a barrier,” she said in the press release. “We are extremely excited to see the impact these projects will have on students and the community, and encourage educators to be creative in utilizing the funds available for this grant.”
Heather Grant, the administrator for the school district’s Equitable Multi-Level System of Supports, expressed similar reactions to the Pablo Foundation-ECPSF partnership.
It will “support our efforts to create a more equitable school experience for our students,” she said. “Having funding specifically designated to support EDI projects in the district will benefit all of our students.”
More information about the program and about donating to support it is available on the ECPSF website using “equity” as a keyword search, or from its executive director, Sarah French at (715) 852-3015 or sarahfrench@ecpsfound.org.