Rotary Offers $10K in Literacy Grants

Long Beach Rotary and its charitable foundation are offering up to $10,000 for creative, teacher-driven literacy projects (virtual or in-person). Teachers in preschool through third grade, including Special Education, may apply for grants from $500 to $2,500. The application deadline is Jan. 15. Grants may be used to purchase books, e-books, teaching aides, training programs or other educational materials during the current school year or in the 2021-22 school year.

Download the grant application.

The Paul Kennard Teacher Literacy Grants this year honor Mr. Kennard, who envisioned and oversaw the Rotary Reads program in the Long Beach Unified School District for many years.

Since 1999, the Rotary Club of Long Beach has held an annual Reading by 9 Fundraiser where its members and others donate to the Long Beach Rotary Charitable Foundation to support early education and literacy and the goal of promoting grade level reading by age 9.

Recently, the Rotarians raised $52,000 to support the Long Beach Reading by 9 effort. Since the inception of the program, nearly $800,000 has been raised and almost 300,000 books and e-books have been donated. This program provides funding and children’s books to Long Beach area schools, libraries, childcare centers, nonprofits and other organizations that promote reading and literacy.