Grants, awards and scholarships

Amount: Up to $6,000

Recipients: One per application period

Details

The ATA is a stakeholder of the Alberta Advisory Committee for Educational Studies (AACES) committee. The University of Lethbridge, University of Calgary and University of Alberta are the other members.

The AACES grant is awarded for projects designed to improve teacher preparation or benefit elementary and secondary education. Preference is given to projects investigating educational issues or questions.

To be eligible, you must be affiliated with one of the contributing organizations (the ATA, U of L, U of C or U of A) and meet one of the following categories:

• ATA member (certificated teacher)
• Faculty of education sessional instructor, member, professor emeritus, adjunct or postdoctoral fellow

How to apply

Deadline: By 4:30 pm on October 15 and June 1

Selection: The committee chooses the recipients.  

More information on AACES

The ATA Educational Trust provides bursaries and grants to help teachers pay for professional development.

Amount: $15,000

Annual recipients: Two

Details

Each year, the ATA awards two fellowships to members who are enrolled or are studying full-time in a doctoral program for education at a recognized university. The awards are given to those who have done well in school, have contributed to the ATA and have been excellent teachers in Alberta’s K–12 public education system.

Applicants must also

• hold a permanent Alberta teaching certificate and have completed at least five years of successful teaching in Alberta;
• at the time of application, be at the highest possible level of membership (active, if eligible for active membership, or associate, if the applicant does not quality for active membership) and have held that membership for at least five years;
• be entering or in their first year of full-time study in the doctoral program in education;
• intend to continue a career in K–12 public education in Alberta; and
• have not received an Association fellowship in the past.

Fellowships are paid in two equal instalments beginning in the fall. Recipients must also file a copy of their research with the Association.

How to apply

Deadline: By 5 pm on the last business day of February

Selection: A selection committee reviews the applications in early spring and forwards its recommendations to Provincial Executive Council, which makes the final decision at its April meeting.

Application form: Please note this form must be printed, completed and mailed to the Association with relevant documentation.

Amount: $5,000

Recipients: One

Details

The Educational Research Award recognizes a faculty of education member or sessional lecturer at an Alberta university or university college who has undertaken high-quality research on classroom teaching and learning.

Along with involving Alberta teachers or students, the research must

• relate directly to school and classroom practice;
• focus on school teaching and/or learning;
• be current (either ongoing or completed within the last two years);
• address critical issues;
• be applicable to the Alberta context;
• provide practical benefit to teachers to improve their professional practice; and
• demonstrate high quality with respect to purpose, methodology and originality.

How to apply

Deadline: May 15

Selection: A panel of four Association representatives and one retired faculty of education professor will  review the applications and select a recipient.

Previous award recipients

Amount: $2,500

Recipients: One

Details

Sponsored by Morgex Insurance, this scholarship awards $2,500 for an approved professional development course or part of an organized program of studies in the field of business education and/or the use of computer technology in education from a recognized Canadian public institution.

To qualify, you must be enrolled in a program in the field of business education or the use of computer technology in education and

• have a valid Alberta teaching certificate with at least five years of successful teaching in Alberta;
• be at the highest level of membership possible (active, if the applicant is eligible for active membership, or associate, if the applicant does not qualify for active membership) and have been at this level for at least five years; and
• have not received a John Mazurek—Morgex Insurance Scholarship in the past.

Along with the applicability of the study area, the Association will consider your contribution to the ATA and to public education, as well as your exemplary teaching practice in the K–12 public education system in Alberta. 

How to apply

Deadline: Annually at 5 pm on the last day of February

Selection: The ATA’s Scholarship Subcommittee reviews the applications each year and selects a potential recipient in early April, who is then confirmed by Provincial Executive Council.
 

Amount: $5,000

Recipients: One

Details

This bursary is awarded to a teacher enrolled in a graduate program in a specialty in education at a recognized Canadian university. Research must focus on health issues affecting teachers and/or on teachers’ working conditions.

You must also

• have a valid Alberta teaching certificate with at least five years of successful teaching in Alberta;
• be at the highest level of membership possible (active ATA member, or associate member if you don’t qualify for active membership) and have had this level for at least five years;
• intend to continue a career in the K–12 public education system in Alberta; and
• not have received a Nadene M Thomas Graduate Research Bursary in the past.

The bursary is granted in two instalments: first, on receipt of the award and second, on receipt of the completed research.

How to apply

Deadline: 5 pm on the last day of February, annually

Selection: The selection committee meets in early spring and reviews the applicants’ academic standing, contribution to the Association, contribution to public education, exemplary teaching practice, and the applicability of the research on health issues affecting teachers and/or teachers’ working conditions. The selection committee forwards a recommendation to Provincial Executive Council, which makes the decision at its April meeting.
 

Amount: Up to $2,000

Recipients:

Details

The Diversity, Equity and Human Rights (DEHR) Committee  provides grants for special projects that promote the following principles:

• Diversity: Every person should be accepted and respected. Our differences make us stronger.
• Equity: Everyone should be treated fairly and given the chance to do their best. Equity means being aware of how certain groups or individuals can be treated unfairly because of their privilege (the power or position they hold in society).
• Human rights: Everyone has the same rights to live in a society that is fair, peaceful and free, no matter your ethnicity, religion, skin colour, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, age, marital or family status, your social class or language background.

If your application is approved, half of the grant is paid in the spring or fall. The rest is paid after the accounting and evaluation report is submitted.

How to apply

Deadline: By 5 pm on April 30

Selection: Based on how well applicants meet the outlined criteria 

DEHR grant application form 

(ce formulaire est également disponible en français)

Amount: $250 plus $1 per member with the option of doubling this amount for the mental health supplement

Recipients: varies

Details

The Local Community Relations Grant program supports locals that are planning and creating activities that profile public education and portray teachers as the active and concerned citizens they are.

Looking for ideas? Check out the Community Relations Grants booklet for examples of activities carried out by locals across Alberta.

Double your Community Relations Grant

The ATA works with the Alberta division of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to promote mental health, discourage the negative stigma often associated with mental illness, and provide teachers with information resources to help them support students with mental health needs.

Locals are encouraged to use their Community Relations Grants for activities that promote the mental health of children and youth. These activities will double your Community Relations Grant, meaning that your local will be eligible for up to $500, plus $2 per member, for community relations projects that are connected to mental health issues.

About CMHA Alberta division

We encourage locals to work with regional CMHA staff and neighbouring locals to develop programs that promote public education and portray teachers as active and concerned about the mental health of children and youth. In some cases, sponsorship opportunities already exist. Additional information about CMHA is available at www.cmha.ab.ca.

How to apply

Deadline: Throughout the school year

Winning applicants must submit a brief write-up of the completed project, detailing the outcomes and successes. Photos submitted with identifiable people must include signed consent forms. Consent forms and more details will be provided once grant recipients have been chosen.

Contact: government@ata.ab.ca

Amount: 40 cents per kilometre or the cost of airfare, $130.00 per night for commercial accommodation or $65.00 per night for noncommercial accommodation, $37.50 per full- or partial-day meeting, with an extra day’s subsistence each way allowed for travel of 400 kilometres or more to the meeting site.

Recipients: Varies

Details

Grant-in-aids help locals with the cost of sending representatives to provincial ATA meetings.

How to apply

Deadline: Within one month of the meeting

Application form: Ask your local executive for the form

Amount: Variable

Recipients: Local presidents

Details

Awarded to locals that provide release time for presidents of at least 0.1 FTE

How to apply

Deadline:  ongoing

Application form: No application form necessary. Locals should contact Finance with information about the release time. 

Amount: Variable

Recipients: One annually per eligible local

Details

Awarded to locals to assist with financial burden resulting from sparse teacher population and large geographic size

How to apply

Deadline:  ongoing

Application form: No application form necessary. Locals should contact ATA Finance for more information.

Amount: $2,000 over three years

Details

This grant supports the creation of a mentorship steering committee to plan, promote, monitor and evaluate the beginning teacher mentorship program.

The steering committee must include representation from the ATA local, school jurisdiction and the provincial ATA.

How to apply

Deadline: June 30

Amount: up to $600

Details

This grant supports locals that strive to develop meaningful relationships between them and elected officials.

It may be paid in two installments, the first to a maximum of $300 on approval of a political engagement plan, the remainder on receipt of expenses and a report of the activities.

How to apply

Deadline: Ongoing
 

Amount: $1,000 plus $0.50 per member

Details

This grant is awarded to locals that work toward electing a government that supports policies that are good for public education.

The ATA does not align with any political party, but we encourage locals to engage members in the election process, inform candidates of ATA policy, inform the public of the high stakes for education in provincial elections, and engage stakeholders to promote the importance of public education.

Below are some of the activities that are eligible for funding:

• All-candidates forum
• Candidate and teacher meet-and-greet
• Candidates’ tour of schools
• Profiling education issues among members via local publications
• Surveying candidates and profiling their responses in a special election newsletter

Activities that align with the general strategy and follow these guidelines will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis.

How to apply

Deadline: Varies

Amount: Up to $2,000 (matching grant)

Details

As a professional organization, the Association is facing significant changes. To adapt to these changes, the Association engages in strategic planning and actively encourages all of its subgroups—convention associations, locals and specialist councils—to develop long-term strategic plans of their own. To help subgroups engage in this kind of planning, the Association offers matching grants of up to $2,000 each to support initiatives that would not be covered under normal subgroup operations. Subgroups can use these grants to offset the costs of organizing strategic planning activities to discuss their plans and set long-term goals. ATA staff are also available to support strategic planning activities and to clarify the relationship between the organization’s strategic framework and the leadership role of the subgroup.

How to apply

Deadline: There are two deadlines per year: October 15 and January 15. Applicants who weren’t successful in the first round can be considered in the second round.

Selection: Based on previous strategic planning efforts, indication of working with other subgroups and alignment with the ATA’s strategic framework.

Amount: Up to 50 per cent of cost or $2,000, whichever is less

Recipients: Each specialist council can apply for one special and one joint project grant per year.

Details

Specialist councils can apply for these grants to support special project activities or to work with other specialist councils to codevelop professional development resources that improve members’ pedagogy or leadership.

How to apply

Deadline: Ongoing

Selection: Applications are reviewed regularly by the Association’s Table Officers Committee.

To apply: E-mail pd@ata.ab.ca.

Amount: A $20,000 base grant per specialist council, plus an additional prorated amount based on the relative regular and student membership in each council

Recipients: Paid annually to Association specialist councils

Details

Specialist council grants are transferred to each of the Association’s specialist councils annually to fund council operations. The membership portion of the grant is based on council membership data from the previous fiscal year.

How to apply

Deadline: Ongoing

To apply: No application is necessary. Grants are calculated and distributed by Association staff. E-mail pd@ata.ab.ca for more information.

Amount: $1,000 plus $5 per member for the first 200 members and $3 per member thereafter, based on the membership as at October 31 of the year for which the grant is paid

Recipients: One annually per student local

Details

This grant helps fund student local expenses. To be eligible, the student local needs to submit part one and two of their local’s annual report, the student membership list, plus $1 per student member.

How to apply

Deadline:  October 31 annually

Application form: For more information, contact locals@ata.ab.ca. 

Amount: $75 per delegate

Recipients: Up to six delegates annually per eligible student local

Details

This grant supports attendance at the Western Canadian Association for Student Teaching conference

How to apply

Deadline: February 1 annually

Application form: Please submit grant request and the names of attending delegates to locals@ata.ab.ca.