Guidelines

The Bosch Community Fund 

The Bosch Community Fund is the corporate foundation for Bosch in North America. The Fund has awarded more than $28 million in grants to various 501(c)(3) organizations and educational institutions in over 45 Bosch site locations. Established in 2011, the Bosch Community Fund focuses primarily on the enrichment of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, the advancement of environmental sustainability initiatives and eco+STEM, a cross-section of the two.

Program Mission

The Bosch Eco and STEM Teacher (BEST) Grant Program advances sustainability and STEM education in ways that inspire, excite, and engage students. 

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a BEST Teacher grant, you must be a P-12 Educator in one of the the following school districts:

• Teachers in schools that are not district-affiliated, including non-affiliated preschools, are not eligible to apply for a BEST Teacher Grant.

• Individual applicants are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $1,000.

• Groups of two-to-four applicants are eligible to apply for a collaborative grant of up to $2,000. The names and email addresses of all applicants must be listed in the grant application.

• Applicants are eligible to apply for one grant per cyle. You may not submit both an individual and a group appliction.

Areas of Funding 

Programs and projects seeking BEST Teacher Grant funding must addess a sustainability and/or STEM topic. Applications should seek to provide innovative, interactive, inquiry-based learning experiences in one or more of these content areas.

Funds provided by the BEST Teacher Grant program CAN be used for: 

• Projects and programs that happen during school and outside of school hours

• Projects and programs that happen at school and outside of school property

• Interdisciplinary programs/projects that combine the subjects addressed in the BEST Teacher Grant Program alongside other subjects/content areas.

• Software and hardware that supports inquiry-based learning and will be used for a specific program or project with eco and/or STEM learning objectives.

Funds provided by the BEST Teacher Grant Program CANNOT be used for:

• Projects that do not address energy, environment, engineering, science, sustainability, technology and/or mathematics.

• General operations, capital projects, endowments, fundraising events

• Classroom Furniture

• Software and hardware that will not support inquiry-based learning and or are not directly connected to a specific program or project with eco and/or STEM learning objectives.

• Paying individuals for services rendered. It is, however, acceptable to pay organizations for services such as workshops for students or field trips.

Please note that some districts work with specific technology vendors, and may require you to make purchases specifically from these vendors. Please check whether your district has such requirements before compiling your budget.

Grant Cycle

The BEST Grant Program follows an annual cycle: applications open at the beginning of the school year and funds are disbursed the following January. Awardees complete their BEST Teacher Grant projects during the rest of the school year, submitting a report to the Bosch Community Fund in by the end of June. 

Application Process

• Applicants must first register for to access the applicant portal. If you have already applied for a grant in the past, you can sign in using your existing account.

• Once your registration has been approved, you will receive an automated email with login credentials. You must complete the online BEST Teacher Grant application through the applicant portal to be considered for funding.

• Applicants should provide an itemized budget for their program/project in the application.

Selection Process

• 2-3 expert reviewers will review each application and make initial funding recommendations on all submitted requests.

• Reviewers will use the Application Review Rubric to score applications. For the best chance of funding, please check your application against the rubric before summitting.

• Applicants will be notified of a decision via email on or before the dates outlined in the above graphic.  All funding decisions are final.

• If an application is approved for funding, grant funding will be disbursed approximately 6-8 weeks after you have been notified. You will receive your funds on a pre-paid PEX Visa Card. 

Grantee Expectations

• Awarded funds must be used in advance of the final report deadline, this deadline is outlined in the graphic in the Grant Cycle section above.

• Award recipients must submit a final report including all receipts via the grant portal.

• The BEST Teacher Grant Program is currently being evaluated by the University of Michigan's center for Education Design, Evaluation & Research. BEST applicants and grantees are likely to be approached by members of the University of Michigan team to provide feedback on the program. Your feedback will be vital to program improvement and will help the Bosch Community Fund to understand the impact of the program on educators, students, schools & communities.