Grant Opportunities: Prompt Response, STEAM Fellowship, and MoreArlington Community Foundation is now accepting grant requests up to $2,500 from our Prompt Response Fund. Grants may be awarded to support a time-sensitive, unanticipated opportunity or need that would be difficult for an organization to address without a prompt response grant. Eligible grantees are 501(c)(3) or publicly supported organizations serving Arlington residents. Prompt response grants are not meant to support political or religious activities. Neither are they meant to be awarded for general operating support or to start new programs. Any grant amounts awarded should be committed or expended expeditiously and, at the latest, within 3 months of the date of the award.
Program priorities
Prompt Response Fund grant requests will only be considered by the Foundation if it is determined that:
Example of an emergency request: To help get the office back into safe operational use after a ceiling tile fell.
Example of a last dollar request: To help 10 students participate in an upcoming school event that they would otherwise have to miss without this funding.
Eligibility
Requests may be submitted at any time by nonprofit 501(c)3 agencies serving Arlington County residents.
Generally, Prompt Response Fund grants are NOT awarded:
Examples of approved Prompt Response requests:
To make a donation to the Prompt Response Fund, click here.
The Summer 2025 STEAM Fellowship application is now open! Keep reading to learn more about the Fellowship and eligibility requirements. If you are a new user, use the link below to create an account to access the application. Once logged in, click “apply” at the top of your screen and navigate to the STEAM Fellowship Application. Click here or the button below to apply by April 15!
Formerly known as the STEM Fellowship, the program is now referred to as the STEAM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Arts/Math) Fellowship Program to include the arts. Applicants planning to pursue a fellowship in the arts must demonstrate how they will build connections between the arts and science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.
The STEAM Workforce Development Teacher Fellowship provides Arlington Public Schools (APS) high school, middle school and elementary school teachers with opportunities to learn about work place needs in STEAM-related fields and for them to use the experience to enhance student learning to match workplace expectations in a selected industry. STEAM Fellows participate in a three-week summer fellowship, receiving a $5,000 stipend upon completion.
Fellowship Goals: The goals of the Arlington Community Foundation (ACF) STEAM Fellowship are to provide Arlington Public School (APS) teachers with opportunities to learn about workplace needs in STEAM-related fields, to use the experience to share findings with colleagues, to enhance student learning, and to help prepare students for future workplace expectations.
Eligibility: High school, middle school and elementary school teachers in APS with at least two years of classroom teaching experience in APS by June 30, 2025, and who intend to stay with APS for at least two years beyond the fellowship. Prior ACF STEAM Fellows are eligible to reapply five years after their initial award. New STEAM Fellow applicants will be prioritized over prior ACF STEAM fellows. All applicants must submit two letters of recommendation – one from their current principal and one from a professional colleague. There are instructions on how to submit the letters of recommendation in the application below.
Fellowship Placements: A program goal is to offer experiences that are mutually beneficial to fellows and the placement host. The ACF Workforce Development Committee will work closely with award recipients to help identify placements in business, government, or nonprofit sectors. We also anticipate that teachers applying for the fellowships will know of STEAM-related businesses and fields in which they would like to have a fellowship experience. We encourage teachers to work independently to create their own placements to submit to the ACF Workforce Development Committee for final approval. Three-week placements may be subdivided among multiple hosts for a minimum of one week each.
Term: Three-week summer fellowship or up to 120 hours. Schedules may vary. Fellowship dates are flexible and will be determined by the STEAM Fellow and their fellowship placement.
Requirements: 1) Collaboration with ACF’s Workforce Development Committee in identifying a fellowship placement. 2) Completion of the 3 week/120-hour fellowship. 3) An oral briefing and written report to ACF in Fall 2025 on how your summer experience will enhance student learning and reflect the workplace expectations of a selected field or career path. 4) A plan for how you will share your learning with colleagues in the 2025-26 school year.
Arts Requirement: If you plan to pursue a fellowship in the arts, you must demonstrate how you will build connections between the arts and science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.
Stipend and Other Benefits: $5,000. Teachers who successfully complete their fellowship will be eligible to earn 90 points toward recertification as an Educational Project.
Need some inspiration? Meet previous STEAM Fellows
2023 STEAM Fellowship: Making the plaques for Arlington “Stumbling Stones”. Read on WTOP News.
2022 STEAM (Formerly STEM) Fellows: A 6 minute video where 3 Fellows share their experiences. Watch on YouTube.
For additional information about Arlington Community Foundation’s grants, contact Brian Marroquín., Director of Grants and Initiatives.
Whether you’re a business executive thinking about corporate giving or a nature lover who wants to protect our parks, we’d love to hear from you.
