The YMCA of Coastal Georgia will pilot an innovative program designed around teaching students piano to increase their reading and math proficiency in Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools. The program will be funded using grant funds provided by the Georgia Foundation for Public Education through the PEACH Education Tax Credit.
The YMCA/SCCPSS partnership has been awarded $25,000 as an Innovating Education Prototype Grant Recipient. The money will be used to purchase the foundational equipment and materials needed to pilot the program at AB Williams Elementary, Otis J. Brock Elementary, Mercer Middle, DeRenne Middle, and West Chatham Middle.
The Georgia Foundation for Public Education is awarding $287,723 in grants this year through its Innovative Education Fund – the grant program funded by the PEACH Education Tax Credit, which allows donors to directly support public schools and receive a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit.
Three schools are receiving Innovation Mini Grants, which provide $1,000 to $5,000 for a yearlong grant designed to implement a small-scale innovative education program that has the potential to impact student outcomes. Twelve schools, districts, or organizations are receiving Innovating Education Prototype Grants, which provide up to $25,000 over one year to pilot a mid-scale innovative education program that has the potential to impact student outcomes and transform teaching and learning practices at the school or district.
Finally, five schools, districts, or organizations are receiving Innovating Education Expansion Grants, which provide up to $20,000 over one year to scale a mid-level innovative education program that has the potential to expand the impact on student outcomes and continue to transform teaching and learning practices at the school or district.
“It's a joy to congratulate this year's Innovative Education Fund grant recipients," GFPE Executive Director Paige Pushkin said. “Their proposals showed great creativity, purpose, and commitment to student success. We are excited to fund meaningful innovation in schools across the state of Georgia, thanks to the donors who choose to support Georgia's public-school tax credit."
Georgia's PEACH Education Tax Credit – previously known as the Qualified Education Donation tax credit – offers an exciting opportunity to advance public education and foster excellence for students across Georgia. Contributing to the tax credit provides taxpayers with a dollar-for-dollar credit on their Georgia state income taxes, meaning they are able to directly apply their tax dollars to support innovation in Georgia's K-12 public schools. Click here to learn more.
