Public schools in Ithaca, New York, are benefiting from $61,000 worth of grants to fund 77 different projects, ranging from reading to math and science, the Ithaca Journal recently reported.
The grants have been awarded through a local nonprofit, the Ithaca Public Education Initiative, which works to build community relationships with the school district to generate new funding and support projects.
According to the Ithaca Journal, the grants have helped the school district pay for projects that otherwise would not have been part of the annual budget. Projects include collaboration efforts, teacher programs and new education technology, such as a computer, document reader or classroom projector.
"As budgets continue to get more restrictive, these grants are more important," said IPEI president Terry Byrnes. "We have seen a surge in requests the last couple years and as things get tighter, I do not foresee that changing."
The IPEI was established in 1996 with the mission of finding additional resources for local schools. Programs supported by the nonprofit include Save the Arts activities, science program, walks for charity and more.
