Staff Scholarships, Individual & Collaborative Grants
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2025-26 Staff Scholarships, Individual Grants and Collaborative Grants
Please read these instructions carefully and completely to ensure the best outcome for your application submission:
Deadline for application submission -- Monday, June 8,2026, at 5:00 pm
Winners will be notified at their school by the Prize Pep Rally in the Fall Semester
If you have any change in campus, grade level, etc. that will affect your grant request, or if you leave the district, you must notify the Denton Public School Foundation about the change to determine if your application may still be considered.
Please read each description carefully to make sure you follow the link for the correct application. Any applications submitted in the wrong category will be disqualified.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE 2026-27 APPLICATIONS WILL NOT OPEN UNTIL SPRING 2026
Please consider these suggestions before you Submit your application:
We are in our seventh year of using a cloud-based program. If you have previously submitted an application of any kind, you are already in the system. If you do not remember your password from last year, please use the "forgot Password" option right above the submit button. You can edit your application up to the point you hit submit. Once you begin an application, you may receive reminders every so often if your application is incomplete. It will still be your responsibility to ensure the application(s) are submitted by the deadline of June 8, 2026, at 5:00 pm. We are always striving to improve this process and welcome feedback - dpsf@dentonisd.org
- Verify that you selected the right application for your grant scholarship request. Applications in the wrong category - for example, a scholarship in a grant application or a collaborative grant in a grant-to-teachers application - will be disqualified.
- Know your audience – Remember that many reviewers are not educators, so acronyms, abbreviations, and “education language” will need to be defined and explained.
- Spell-check your document – it is a valid expectation that educators will use correct spelling and grammar in their requests for funding!
- Give detailed and clear explanations for the items you are requesting – don’t assume the reader will always know what these educational tools are.
- Reach out to the vendor you would like to use and ask for a quote. Often they offer special pricing or free shipping. Let them know that the order will not be placed until Fall 2026 at the earliest.
- If you are requesting funding for TECHNOLOGY, please follow the steps listed above in the TECHNOLOGY section under Grant To Teachers and Collaborative Grants. You will receive instructions on how to request a quote in your approval email; do not contact vendors directly for a quote for Technology.
- Be sure you answer each question clearly and give tangible, achievable goals.
- Please ensure that you have attached your DPSF Grant Pre-application. This is completed through Denton ISD Laserfiche.
- Review – and then review again! Ask 2 or 3 others to read your application for clarity, content, and yes - grammar before you hit submit.
Thanks for what you do for our students every day – and best of luck!
Denton Independent School District
STEP ONE
Step one is a Laserfiche form that must be submitted, approved, and then attached to the full grant application in STEP TWO. This process can take up to 10 business days, so please allow enough time for completion. While this can be filled out at any time, it is recommended to wait until the spring semester.
Grant applicants should give a brief overview of their idea and list the items they would like to purchase, along with the approved Denton ISD vendor they plan to use. As always, Amazon can not be used for technology purchases. Technology is anything that connects to a computer through a wire, a remote, USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, an app, or a website. DPSF cannot purchase computers (laptop, desktop, Chromebook, iPad, tablet) of any kind, and all technology purchases must be pre-approved by the technology department. Please get in touch with your campus tech if you have questions.
STEP TWO
Staff Scholarships
Staff Scholarships (ranging from $100 to $1,000) will be awarded to Denton Independent School District staff who wish to:
- Attend workshops or seminars to enhance educational opportunities in Denton ISD
- Enroll in courses for either college credit or special certification
- Attend classes, workshops, seminars, or professional development between September 2026 and August 2027
These are for classes/seminars/conferences that develop individual teachers or Denton ISD staff members. If you are interested in items to support your students, please apply for one of the two grant programs on the other tabs. Funds cannot be used to cover substitute pay while the staff member is away.
All reviews will be anonymous and confidential. A blind review process will apply during evaluation and selection. To ensure the screening process is fair, do not use any teacher or school names or identifying information (e.g. a school mascot, terms such as "RHS Raiders" or club names like the "DHS Fillies") on your application. If you fail to follow these guidelines, your application may not be considered for funding.
NOTE: The answer spaces are intentionally limited and will only expand to that limit as you type. Please be concise in your answers — the quality of an answer is more important than its length.
Apply for a scholarship below:
(link will update in Spring 2026)
Grants-to-Teachers ($100 to $1000)
Grants-to-Teachers
Grants are awarded for innovative instructional programs that advance new approaches to teaching or enhance educational opportunities. Funds may be used for equipment, materials, honorariums, etc., but not to pay salaries to Denton ISD employees. The project must involve students and staff members throughout a school, division, club or department/grade level within a school. If applying jointly, a lead applicant should be designated, and the roles of the team member(s) will be described in the application.
Each teacher/applicant may submit only one request as the lead applicant in each category, i.e., Grant to Teachers and Collaborative Grants, but may be included as a co-applicant on another request.
If you are requesting funding for any technology, your request MUST be approved by the Technology Department. We can only approve grant requests for items listed on the TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE STANDARDS page and software found on the Denton ISD approved list on THE GRID.
In an effort to protect our staff and students and to ensure that they have the best learning experience, all Technology Hardware must conform to Denton ISD Technology Standards. Technology Hardware will be managed and updated in accordance with Denton ISD Technology Standards. This includes, but is not limited to, security patches to protect from known vulnerabilities and retiring hardware that no longer meets standards. The product life cycle that is set by developers and manufacturers drives our District Standards. At the end of a product life cycle, for the security of our staff and students, we discontinue using these devices and programs, regardless of funding source.
We are required to use DISD approved vendors. To access a list of these vendors, you must be logged into your DISD Google (@g.dentonisd.org) account: Approved Vendor Lists You will be required to put the vendor number in the form for each item on your budget. If you would like to work on your budget before starting your application (recommended), please use Grant Budget Templates to list the items needed for your grant. You will need to upload this file into the application.
All reviews will be anonymous and confidential. A blind review process will apply during evaluation and selection. To ensure the screening process is fair, do not use any teacher or school names or identifying information (e.g. a school mascot, terms such as "RHS Raiders" or club names like the "DHS Fillies") on your application. If you fail to follow these guidelines, your application may not be considered for funding.
NOTE: The answer spaces are intentionally limited and will only expand to that limit as you type. Please be concise in your answers — the quality of an answer is more important than its length.
Grants to Teachers ($100 to $1,000) for individual classroom/grade level/department projects) are awarded to Denton Independent School District personnel working directly with students (e.g. teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses, etc.). If you are seeking an award between $1001 and $4000, please use the Collaborative Grant application on the next tab. Applying in the wrong category may prevent your application from moving forward.
Apply for a Grant-to-Teachers ($100-$1000):
(link will update in Spring 2026)
Collaborative Grants ($1000-$4000)
Collaborative Grants
Grants are awarded for innovative instructional programs that advance new approaches to teaching or enhance educational opportunities. Funds may be used for equipment, materials, honorariums, etc., but not to pay salaries to Denton ISD employees. The project must involve students and staff members throughout a school, division, club or department/grade level within a school. If applying jointly, a lead Applicant should be designated and the roles of the team member(s) will be described in the application.
Each teacher/applicant may submit only one request as the lead applicant in each category i.e. Grant to Teachers and Collaborative Grants but may be included as a co-applicant on another request.
If you are requesting funding for any technology, your request MUST be approved by the Technology Department. Technology standards are currently under review. We can only approve grant requests for items listed on the TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE STANDARDS page and software found on the Denton ISD approved list. This list can be found on THE GRID.
In an effort to protect our staff and students and to ensure that they have the best learning experience, all Technology Hardware must conform to Denton ISD Technology Standards. Technology Hardware will be managed and updated in accordance with Denton ISD Technology Standards. This includes, but is not limited to, security patches to protect from known vulnerabilities and retiring hardware that no longer meets standards. The product life cycle that is set by developers and manufacturers drives our District Standards. At the end of a product life cycle, for the security of our staff and students, we discontinue using these devices and programs, regardless of funding source.
We are required to use DISD approved vendors. To access a list of these vendors, you must be logged into your DISD Google (@g.dentonisd.org) account Approved Vendor Lists You will be required to put the vendor number in the form for each item on your budget. If you would like to work on your budget before starting your application (recommended), please use Grant Budget Templates to list the items needed for your grant. You will need to upload this file into the application.
All reviews will be anonymous and confidential. A blind review process will apply during evaluation and selection. To ensure the screening process is fair, do not use any teacher or school names or identifying information (e.g. a school mascot, terms such as "RHS Raiders" or club names like the "DHS Fillies") on your application. If you fail to follow these guidelines, your application may not be considered for funding.
NOTE: The answer spaces are intentionally limited and will only expand to that limit as you type. Please be concise in your answers — the quality of an answer is more important than its length.
Collaborative Grants (from $1001 up to $4,000 each) will be awarded to Denton Independent School District personnel working directly with students (such as teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses, and similar staff members). If you are seeking an award between $100 and $1000, please use the Grant to Teachers application on the previous tab. Applying in the wrong category may prevent your application from moving forward.
Apply for a collaborative grant ($1001-$4000):
(link will update in Spring 2026)