Waukesha Education Foundation Inc.

For most SDW students, and their parents, a trip to the Horwitz-DeRemer Planetarium was absolutely part of their school experience.  For the first time since it opened in 2005, the lobby of the planetarium was remodeled, allowing an update to technology and the addition of more interchangeable displays. A 2020 WEF grant supported this remodel, and helped get the lobby ready for the more than 9,000 Waukesha students that visit each year. #WEFGrantsWork Check out some of the new displays!

Today marks the opening of the 2023 WEF grant window! You can submit your request from now until April 7. We’re glad to offer this opportunity to SDW teachers, staff and administrators and we hope to see an application from you this year. All of the information related to our grant process, including the link to the application form, can be found on our website . This page also contains helpful resources such as a budget template and a copy of the reviewer rubric that is used to evaluate the proposals. If you have applied for a grant in the past, you are eligible to apply again this year. There is no limit to the amount of grants a teacher or staff member can receive. If you aren’t sure what request to submit and need some inspiration, there a few ways to figure out a potential grant proposal: Conduct some online research - see if there are any trends or new technologies for your subject area that you would like to try with your students and implement in your classroom. Check out our p...

The Waukesha Education Foundation (WEF) 2023 Grant Application will open one week from today. To prepare to submit your request, visit our website to learn about our grant process and access helpful resources. Grant writing tips, a copy of the rubric our reviewers use and a sample budget template you can use to outline the monetary aspect of your request are all available. Also, we have documents listing all of the grants that we have funded since 2004. These might provide some inspiration or thought starters as you consider a request that you could submit for your school or classroom. When the application goes live next week, the link to it will be on our website on the grants page. SDW teachers, staff and administrators are eligible to apply for a WEF grant. If you have a project, program or educational tool in mind that would enhance student learning, we encourage you to submit a request. If you have any questions about the grant process, eligibility, etc., please contact Janaka Su...

Waukesha North’s Entrepreneurship class has historically focused on creating a business plan for a fictitious business to get students into the entrepreneurial mindset. But teacher Katie Cortez decided to get a bit more creative, and with the help of a Waukesha Education Foundation (WEF) grant, her students had a much more hands-on experience. The WEF grant provided seed money, or a “small business loan”, to students. They formed small groups as their “business” and researched products or services they could provide. Over the course of the semester, they managed their marketing, production, and all necessary elements of a business to ensure they made a profit and were able to repay the loan, with interest, by the end of the semester.  This project was a great success, and offered students a chance to learn by seeing their plan in action, and testing their theories and ideas with real-world experience. “This experience helped students collaborate to operate a small business, and pro...