Inland Empire Teachers Encouraged to Apply for Bilingual Educator Grants: Deadline Extended to June 16

The Kemper Foundation announced that the Read Conmigo bilingual educator grant applications are now open for the fall 2024 grant cycle. The Read Conmigo program focuses on advancing bilingual literacy in Hispanic and Latino communities, and enables educators to provide rich, engaging learning experiences for students through the purchase of classroom resources, tools, materials and professional development.

Read Conmigo grants are open to eligible teachers in the following counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura (California); Broward and Miami-Dade (Florida); and Dallas (Texas). The Foundation awards up to 100 grants of $3,000 each to Spanish-English bilingual teachers in two grant cycles annually. Since the program’s launch in 2022, Read Conmigo has reached over 4,500 students via grants awarded to 150 educators in the Greater Los Angeles, Miami and Dallas areas.

Through the Read Conmigo program, The Kemper Foundation provides access to education in order to inspire and empower students to achieve their full potential. The program provides supportive opportunities that recognize the distinct educational, social and financial benefits of bilingualism in Hispanic and Latino families.

“The Kemper Foundation is proud to provide teachers with the ability to bring their vision to life to make an impact in their bilingual classrooms, and ultimately their communities,” said Barbara Ciesemier, president of the Kemper Foundation. “Teachers who previously received grants report positive impacts to their students on multiple levels and we’re pleased to continue supporting the program.”

Read Conmigo grant recipients describe:
• Measurable improvements in district-mandated and standardized tests and in informal assessments of their students, including growth related to reading, comprehension, writing, spelling, vocabulary, phonics, speaking and technology skills.

• Through participation in enriching activities such as cultural nights, field trips, and bilingual music and art instruction, students demonstrated an increased enthusiasm for classroom

“As a second language learner myself, who has taught for 22 years, I firmly believe that a solid foundation in the home language will help facilitate the acquisition of additional languages,” said Maestra Madrid, a Read Conmigo grant recipient from Garretson Elementary School in Corona, CA. “Children who learn to speak and read in more than one language will be able to transfer skills and knowledge between languages. Bilingual books provide children with the opportunity to read and be read to in their stronger language while at the same time learning vocabulary, fluency and sentence structure in the second language.”

The application deadline for fall 2024 grants is June 16, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. local time. Additional information, including eligibility requirements, grant usage guidelines, FAQs and the grant application, is posted on The Kemper Foundation website.

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee from The Kemper Foundation and Read Conmigo program partners. Grant funds will be awarded in the fall of 2024 for this grant cycle. To learn more about The Kemper Foundation’s Read Conmigo grant program, visit The Kemper Foundation website.