Applications Requested for 2021 Zach Smith Fund Teacher Grants

Mount Airy educators can now apply for teaching awards from the Zach Smith Fund of The Winston-Salem Foundation, which was created in 2009 with gifts made in memory of Zach Smith from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and his family and friends.

The Zach Smith Fund provides grant awards designed to improve the quality of education in Mount Airy, NC and may be given annually to educators and/or administrators employed by the Mount Airy City Schools or local charter schools. Grants will support projects that provide professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators with priority for those that encourage and enrich:  

• principal or teacher leadership
• student and/or teacher-originated activities in civic education, environmental education, local and state history, economic literacy, and leadership development
• student and/or teacher-originated arts and humanities projects

Funds will not be used to provide college scholarships or to support athletic teams.

Approximately $17,000 is available for the committee to distribute in 2021, and the minimum grant request amount is $250. The selection committee seeks a wide variety of applications for grant support that will improve the educational quality in Mount Airy. ‍

Emphasis will be placed on:

• the way in which initiative, creativity, and imagination are demonstrated in projects  
• proposed project's potential impact on students  
• strategic relationship between the proposed project and individual professional growth  

The deadline for applications is October 29, 2021 at 5:00 PM. For additional information and to apply online, visit wsfoundation.org/teacher-grants or contact April Durr at (336) 725-2382 or adurr@wsfoundation.org.