The Classroom Innovation Grants program empowers teachers to develop and implement creative projects that have a lasting impact on students with disabilities. Through financial assistance, the Special Education Foundation (SEF) helps educators bring their innovative ideas to life, fostering enriching learning experiences that would otherwise be out of reach.

Eat a Rainbow - Ladue Early Childhood Center

Occupational Therapist Jeanie Hall

Jeanie Hall of Ladue Early Childhood Center is a grant recipient for the Eat a Rainbow project. Many students are picky eaters and struggle to interact with fruits and vegetables at school and home. The grant was used to purchase utensils, dishes, and 15 different foods of varying colors and textures for a sensory exploration snack one time per week for 15 weeks.

Character Led Education - Northview High School

Katherine Harston of Northview High School is a grant recipient to provide the continuation of funds to purchase items students need to raise money for their character education project. The focus of this project is to teach cooperation, creativity, empathy, responsibility, and commitment through real life experiences.

Speech-Language Pathologist Katherine Harston

“These group activities bring students together from multiple classrooms providing them with age appropriate and high interest activities and topics to promote peer to peer communication and social skills development through character education.”

These projects benefit not only individual classrooms but also serve as models for other educational settings, amplifying their impact across schools.

If you're considering applying, be sure to read the Helpful Hints for Applying — tips to strengthen your proposal. These resources can guide you through the application process and highlight key factors that make your project stand out to reviewers.

Application Guidelines

Eligibility and Preferences:

• Projects should be innovative and designed to be easily replicated in other settings.
• SEF does not fund items that should be covered by public funds, such as books, equipment, transportation, or staff development.

Reporting Requirements:

• Teachers are required to report project outcomes to SEF the following year by completing the Feedback Form.

For questions or assistance with the online application, please contact SEF’s Program & Communications Manager Shannon Benedek at shannon@sef-stl.org or 314.394.7036.  Take this opportunity to make a difference with your innovative ideas and inspire change in classrooms across the district!