Money Watch

Your guide to finding the best grants.

• PRINT
• EMAIL

California schools are eligible for up to $600 million in technology funds coming down the pike as part of the Microsoft antitrust lawsuits. The state—along with 14 others and the District of Columbia—entered into settlements with Microsoft, where leftover funds are handed over to schools. Vermont has already started distributing $4.7 million in vouchers to its schools.

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Montana $1.2 million for a program to improve Native American schools. The Indian Leadership Education and Development (I LEAD) Program is a joint project of Montana State University, Fort Peck Community College, and the Poplar Public Schools.

To spur on digital literacy, the National Education Foundation’s CyberLearning Project announced that it has more than $400 million in scholarships available for training teachers and students in information technology. Schools can apply to take free online courses in software, math, business, and more. Find a one-page application at cyberlearningproject.org.

The Indiana Department of Education has awarded funding to 24 schools to roll out Linux work stations to 22,000 students under the ACCESS (Affordable Classroom Computers for Every Secondary Student) program. The grant allows IT departments in schools to save millions on software purchases—Linux is open source. The department will also run tests on other open-source software from companies such as Sun and Novell.

The Broad Foundation and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF announced they will award a total of $2.45 million to KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) public charter schools in New Orleans. Two existing schools, KIPP Believe College Prep and McDonogh 15, will split $450,000—McDonogh 15 will use the $300,000 for renovations and additional learning time, and Believe will use $150,000 for learning time and to employ a social worker. The remaining funds will support the opening of three new charter schools.

The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and MetLife Foundation awarded 30 principals nationwide grants from the Sharing the Dream program. Each will receive a $3,000 grant to develop ways to involve parents and the community in their schools.

Electronic giant Casio awarded five $7,500 technology grants nationwide in its yearly funding campaign. The winners are Bismarck (ND) Public School District, Anchorage (AK) Public Schools, Cecil County (MD) Public Schools, Plano (TX) Independent School District, and Dr. Leroy Doig Intermediate School in Garden Grove, California.

Stocking Up (or Down?)
Learn how to manipulate the stock market in our stock market game.

The Ice Scream Shop
Welcome to the Ice Scream Shop. Here, all the ice cream is made and sold by creepy creatures. There'Â?s a job opening for a new cashier — and the job is yours! (The owner wanted to hire a werewolf, but you'Â?ll do.)

Interview with The Apprentice Winner Bill Rancic
The first winner of NBC's popular reality show The Apprentice talks about his book, which encourages kids' entrepreneurial spirit. He also discusses how parents can introduce the concept of money to their children.

LESSON PLAN	May the Best Character Win Presents a lesson in which students learn about presidential campaigns, including how to budget and run one and how to write a speech.
UNIT PLAN	Number Smarts! Welcome to Number Smarts!, a new math and social-science education program to build student skills while helping them learn the basics of financial...
ONLINE ACTIVITY	You're The President Choose your cabinet and set your budget, but be prepared to explain your decisions to the press! Experience the job of President.