K-12 Formative Education Grant Competition

The Transformative Education Lab (TLab) at Boston College invites PreK–12 educators and school professionals to apply for the second annual Formative Education Grant Competition. This grant honors the many ways educators help students grow not only in knowledge, but as whole persons – in classrooms, after-school programs, and community settings. What is formative education?

Formative education is about more than academic achievement – it’s about shaping the whole person. We understand formative education as a complex, multidimensional process, grounded in the following key principles:

Wholeness – supporting students’ intellectual, emotional, ethical, and possibly spiritual growth.

• How do you create learning experiences that engage both students’ minds and emotions?
• In what ways do you nurture curiosity, character, and self-awareness.

Purpose – helping students discover who they are and how they want to contribute to the world.

• How do you connect classroom learning to students’ personal interests, values, or life goals?
• How do you help students recognize their capacity to make a meaningful difference beyond school?

Community – creating a sense of belonging and shared responsibility.

• How do you encourage collaboration, empathy, and a sense of responsibility for others? 
• How do your students learn to foster belonging  and make a positive diffreence in their classroom, school, or broader community?

We are seeking innovative projects that reflect your commitment to formative education in diverse PreK-12 settings. Whether at the classroom, school, or district level, your ideas can help shape a holistic approach to education and inspire others. This competition is your opportunity to showcase and expand the ways you support students’ growth as whole persons — and to join a community of educators committed to formative education.

Successful projects will:

• Align with one or more dimensions of formative education, and show how these dimensions intersect in practice
• Demonstrate innovation and creativity in advancing whole-person education
• Set clear, student-centered goals that can be measured and reflected upon
• Use creative, engaging approaches that spark curiosity and growth
• Be feasible to implement and adaptable by others
• Aim for lasting impact, not just a one-time event

Projects may include but are not limited to: (a) classroom innovations, (b) after-school or enrichment programs, (c) school-wide or district initiatives, (d) community-based partnerships, (e) family engagement projects, (f) student-led initiatives.

• Open to all PreK–12 educators, counselors, and school professionals (individuals or teams) as well as community partners who work with PreK-12 students across public, charter, independent, or religious schools and community programs.
• Projects must be designed for your own classroom, school, district, or community program.
• Applicants should secure support from their principal or administrator.
  

Application Components

The application requires your contact and professional information and responses to the following: 

• Project Title
• Project Summary (~250 words) – A concise overview of your project 
• Proposal (~750 words) – see below for detailed guidelines

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals should include the four sections below. For each section, we have provided guiding questions to support your proposal’s development.  You are not expected or required to answer each guiding question separately, but your proposal should reflect the content mentioned in each guiding question :

1. Rationale & Connection to Formative Education

   1. What is the current problem, puzzle, or call to action that you are hoping to address with this project? How does formative education (i.e., wholeness, purpose, community) provide a unique perspective or solution?

   2. How do your current pedagogical approaches or practices align with formative education? 

1. Project Design, Timeline & Budget- Description of planned activities, participants, timeline, and use of funds (i.e., budget outline) for Spring 2026 implementation

   1. What is the proposed project? 

   2. Provide a brief description of the project’s different components/activities and include an initial timeline (possibly in a table format). 

   3. Who are the targets/participants of the planned activities?

   4. What do you plan to use the grant funds for?

1. Expected Outcomes - Student-centered goals and how you will assess or reflect on progress (evidence of impact if available)

   1. What are you hoping to achieve with this project and how does it directly connect to formative education (i.e., wholeness, purpose, community)? What does “success” look like at the end of this project?

   2. How will you measure or assess the goals or impact of this project? What evidence or data do you plan to gather to evaluate and reflect on? In other words, how will you know that your project is “successful”?

1. Sustainability & Sharing - How your project can continue beyond the grant and how others might learn from it

   1. How do you plan to continue fostering formative education beyond this grant?

   2. In what ways might you share this project with your colleagues, school, district, or broader community?      

       

       

• 2 outstanding projects will each receive $5,000.
• 10 projects will each receive $3,000.
• All projects will be presented at a Final Showcase in Summer 2027 and may also be highlighted at other TLab events as part of a growing professional learning community.

• October 1, 2026: Call for Proposals Opens. 
• January 10, 2027: Submission Deadline. 
• January 2027: Initial Review by TLab Committee.
• February 2027: Finalist Interviews.
• End of February 2027: Notification of Awardees.

Phase 2: Project Implementation / Development (Spring 2027)

Awardees design and implement their projects with grant support and gather evidence of student learning using methods appropriate to their projects.

Phase 3: Final Showcase, Reporting & Professional Development (Summer 2027)

Awardees submit a short final report on outcomes, lessons learned, and future plans. Projects may be highlighted at TLab and Boston College events. Awardees may also be invited to attend a Summer Institute at Boston College.

Our review committee will evaluate proposals based on the following:

• Alignment with formative education principles (wholeness, purpose, community)
• Innovation and creativity in advancing whole-person education
• Clarity of goals and outcomes, with student-centered focus
• Feasibility of implementation and adaptability for other educators
• Potential for sustainability and long-term impact

Finalists will also be invited for a Zoom interview, where the TLab interviewer(s) and potential grantee will discuss the proposal. The interviews will provide an opportunity for the TLab to solicit additional details about the proposal and for the TLab to address any of the applicant’s questions or concerns. The written proposal and the interview will be evaluated holistically in the final decision-making process. 

Selected projects will represent diverse approaches to formative education and will highlight practices that can contribute to and inspire others in the field.