PURPOSE STATEMENT:
The Black Teacher Project (BTP) is building a movement of Black teachers that have the knowledge, tools, conditions, and rejuvenation sources needed to be leaders in the re-imagination of schools. Black teachers possess an inherent lens that is unique and critical to abolishing oppressive education conditions and transforming schools into environments where all can thrive. Research demonstrates when young people have at least one Black teacher, they experience better academic and social outcomes. Regrettably, research also shows that Black teachers disproportionately navigate an ecosystem of push out factors including uncompensated and racialized role expectations, lack of culturally responsive professional development, micro and macro aggressions, and health challenges.
This cycle of grants is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Marvin Boomer, known as Boomer by many, a beloved Oakland-based educator whose life embodied what it looks like when a Black teacher is well and rooted in purpose. Vouched for by students and colleagues alike, he led not through authority but through trust — the kind that is earned by showing up fully and consistently. He understood intuitively that our liberation is collective: he shared opportunities generously, lifted others as he rose, and recognized that the communities and organizations around him were stronger when they worked in concert. His reach extended across multiple spaces not because he sought recognition, but because he understood that transformation happens at the intersections.
Boomer's legacy reminds us that teacher wellness is not a personal luxury — it is the foundation from which this kind of expansive, community-rooted impact becomes possible. To support our Black teachers in this moment where their influence and thriving is needed more than ever, BTP is providing twenty $500 grants for Black teachers of record pursuing wellness opportunities. Healing our own minds, bodies, and spirits are indispensable priorities in educational liberation work. In order to reimagine schools into places where everyone thrives, educators must have spaces and tools to both address experienced harm and create conditions for individual and collective well-being. See below for the grant eligibility requirements and application timeline.
ELIGIBILTY REQUIREMENTS:
- Must identify as Black, African American, or a person of the African Diaspora
- Must be a TK-12 classroom teacher of record
APPLICATION TIMELINE:
- Friday, March 27: Application Opens
- Wednesday, April 15: Application Closes
- Thursday, April 16–Monday, April 27: Grant Application Review Period
- Tuesday, April 28–Friday May 1st: Internal Grant Award Communication (announce awards to selected applicants, collect headshots and bios for announcement)
- May 7: Awardees Announced Publicly
OTHER THINGS TO NOTE:
- This grant is NOT for any student-facing projects, but to support you as a teacher and your personal wellness outside of the classroom.
- Grantees must be able to receive payment in the United States, unfortunately we do not have capacity to make international payments.
- As we are not structured as a grant-giving organization, any person receiving $600 or more from Black Teacher Project / National Equity Project in 2026 will receive an IRS 1099 form from us and payment from our organization will be considered taxable income by the IRS. If you receive a stipend from any other BTP programs in the 2026 year, this applies to you.
- This grant opportunity is for new awardees; selected recipients of the Spring 2024, Winter 2024, and Spring 2025 BTP grants are not eligible.
*This application will take about 1 hour to complete.*
