Grant Spotlight

Applications Open Till Nov. 1 for Numerous Grants for Math Teachers

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 09/11/23

The National Council for Teachers of Mathematics is accepting applications through Nov. 1, 2023, for nearly two dozen different grants for primary and secondary educators who teach math, instructional coaches, and leaders.

Highlighted below are several of the NCTM grants for math teachers; view the full list and details on each grant, and apply at NCTM.org/grants.

For all of these NCTM grants, previous recipients of each award are not eligible to reapply for the same award, and applicants must be an Essential or Premium member of NCTM.

Connecting Mathematics to Other Subject Areas Grant (9–12) 

The Connecting Mathematics to Other Subject Areas Grant for math teachers grades 9–12 aims to “create high school classroom materials and/or lessons that involve mathematical modeling and interdisciplinary curricular connections,” according to NCTM.

Grant amounts will be up to $4,000 each; winning applicants will be notified by February 2024. 

Eligible to apply are educators currently teaching mathematics in grades 9–12 at least 50% of the school day. 

Applications require a proposal that includes the following information:

• Materials/lessons may be in the form of e-booklets, videos, or physical models that represent and help mathematize real-world problems and lead to a solution.

• The focus of these materials should be on mathematical modeling and the connectivity of mathematics to other fields or to the world around us, including new discoveries in mathematics.

• Mathematical modeling involves student choice, including the assumptions made in the posing of answerable questions in open-ended situations. The practice of modeling requires students to make sense of a scenario, identify a problem to be solved, mathematize it, apply the mathematization to reach a solution and check the viability of the solution.

• Proposals must address the plan for developing and evaluating materials including a timeline with action steps, and anticipated impact on students' learning.

• Project activities are to be completed between June 1 and May 31.

Find the details in NCTM’s guide for applicants and within NCTM’s scoring rubric.

Classroom Research Grant (7–12) 

The purpose of NCTM’s Classroom Research Grant for grades 7–12 is to “support and encourage classroom-based research in pre-college mathematics education in collaboration with college or university mathematics educators.” 

Grant awards will be up to $6,000 each.

The primary applicant may be either a mathematics educator or a classroom teacher currently teaching mathematics in grades 7–12. 

Applicant’s research “must be a collaborative effort involving a college or university mathematics educator (a mathematics education researcher or a teacher of mathematics learning, teaching, or curriculum) and one or more classroom teachers.” 

Involvement of pre-service teachers is encouraged but not required. The winning applicant’s research should lead to a draft article suitable for submission in the Mathematics Teacher Educator, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, or in Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, NCTM said.

Applicant’s proposal may include, but is not restricted to, research on the following topics:

• Curriculum development and implementation

• Involvement of at-risk students or students from diverse backgrounds and experiences

• Students' thinking about a particular mathematics concept or set of concepts

• Connection of mathematics to other disciplines

• Focused learning and teaching of mathematics with embedded use of technology (any acquisition of equipment must support the proposed plan but not be the primary focus of the grant)

• Innovative assessment or evaluation strategies

Proposals must address research design, the plan for collecting and analyzing data, and the anticipated impact on students' learning. Project activities are to be completed between June 1 and May 31.

Find the details in NCTM’s guide for applicants.

Classroom Research Grant (PreK–6) 

The purpose of NCTM’s Classroom Research Grant for grades 7–12 is to “support and encourage classroom-based research in pre-college mathematics education in collaboration with college or university mathematics educators.” 

Grant awards will be up to $6,000 each.

The primary applicant may be either a mathematics educator or a classroom teacher currently teaching mathematics in grades PreK–6. 

Applicant’s research “must be a collaborative effort involving a college or university mathematics educator (a mathematics education researcher or a teacher of mathematics learning, teaching, or curriculum) and one or more classroom teachers.” 

Involvement of pre-service teachers is encouraged but not required. The winning applicant’s research should lead to a draft article suitable for submission in the Mathematics Teacher Educator, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, or in Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, NCTM said.

Applicant’s proposal may include, but is not restricted to, research on the following topics:

• Curriculum development and implementation

• Involvement of at-risk students or students from diverse backgrounds and experiences

• Students' thinking about a particular mathematics concept or set of concepts

• Connection of mathematics to other disciplines

• Focused learning and teaching of mathematics with embedded use of technology (any acquisition of equipment must support the proposed plan but not be the primary focus of the grant)

• Innovative assessment or evaluation strategies

Proposals must address research design, the plan for collecting and analyzing data, and the anticipated impact on students' learning. Project activities are to be completed between June 1 and May 31.

Find the details in NCTM’s guide for applicants.

More NCTM Grants for Math Teachers

Additional grants for math teachers with a Nov. 1, 2023 deadline include:

• Designing Innovative Lessons and Activities for Mathematics Teaching (K–8): For coaches, teachers, and teacher-leaders; award amounts are $5,000 plus up to $10,000 additional per recipient

• Early Career Research Grant: For math educators who have completed a Ph.D. or Ed.D. within the last five years, or current math education doctoral candidates; awards are up to $10,000 apiece

• Emerging Teacher-Leaders in Elementary School Mathematics: For coaches and teachers in grades PreK–5; awards are up to $6,000 apiece

• Engaging Students in Learning Mathematics Grant (6–8): For math teachers in grades 6–8; awards are up to $3,000 apiece

• Equity in Mathematics Grant (PK–6): For educators who teach math in grades PreK–6; awards are up to $8,000 each

• Equity in Mathematics Grant (6–12): For math teachers grades 6–12; awards are up to $8,000 each

• Fostering Support of Mathematics Learning for Multilingual Learners: For coaches, teachers, and leaders grades PreK–12; awards are up to $4,000 each

• Improving Students' Understanding of Geometry Grant: For teachers grades PreK–8; awards are up to $4,000 apiece

Learn more at NCTM.org/grants.