ABOUT:
In keeping with our goal to support youth in accessing their inner wisdom and realizing their dreams, we welcome requests for funding from teachers and school-based mental health professionals serving students in grades 9 through 12 in the Hudson Valley.

Educator Mini-Grants are awarded for up to $500, and we only fund programs that have not yet begun at the time of application submission. Funds will be awarded for new programs that support our mission to “empower youth to access their inner wisdom and realize their dreams”, or new initiatives that are part of existing programs.

Funded programs or initiatives should focus on improving awareness of mental health issues among teens, developing social-emotional learning strategies for teachers, building mutual support and caring among teens and adults, strengthening inner resilience, or teaching mindfulness practice.

TESTIMONIALS:
“Thank you for this opportunity to better support my high school students. The grant allowed me to purchase materials for a new SEL program and it has made a real impact on them.”
-Grant Recipient

“Providing clinical services that are relevant and engaging is one of my highest priorities.  It can be extremely difficult to obtain or create materials that are appealing to adolescents, and specifically adolescents in a high-needs school.  It is always my goal to reach students authentically and creatively, and to challenge them to grow in ways that are relevant and meaningful to their specific circumstances.  Two evidence-based approaches to providing effective clinical services to adolescents are Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.  The Maya Gold Foundation Mini Grant is allowing me to purchase exciting and creative materials to expand my use of these two disciplines in the counseling room.  Further, I love to incorporate writing and art-based work into our sessions, and the grant is allowing me to purchase amazing supplies for activities such as succulent gardening, journaling, and beadwork for meaning-infused bracelets and sun catchers.  The seventy students on my counseling caseload will truly benefit from the generosity of the Maya Gold Foundation this school year!” -LizaBeth Madara, Poughkeepsie City School District Social Worker, Mini Grant for Educators Recipient

Youth Action Team President Soleil Miller hands the Mini-Educator Grant to LizaBeth Madara, Poughkeepsie City School District Social Worker.

APPLY:
Use the form below to apply.