Micro-Grants for Teach for America

Partnering Micro-Grants

Plus Wonder is partnering with Teach for America to support educators in bringing partnering wisdom into schools. Together, we hope to nurture more connected youth and more collaborative educators in the places that need it most. Do you want to receive a $500 grant or Amazon Gift Card to support your implementation of relationship building and connection practices with your students? Here’s how…

Step 1: Become a Plus Wonder Architect

Begin by reviewing the contents of this page, including the FAQs with eligibility requirements.

Sign up to become a Plus Wonder Architect. It is free and only takes a few minutes! Ensure you indicate you are a part of the Teach for America network.

Become an Architect now!

Upon review of your application, you will receive a welcome email to the Connection Architect Network. This will grant you access to our Architect Toolkits and the Architect Hub, a centralize location where all relevant links live.

Step 2: Download & Implement Our Toolkits

Within your welcome email, you will have links to download our Architect Toolkits. Choose toolkits that align with your students’ interests and learning goals. Each toolkit begins with an overview of the Six Degrees of Connection framework and includes many activities for exploring each degree.

Implement the exercises with your students. You can integrate individual activities in your existing curriculum or use the toolkits as a whole. These are useful in many contexts, including the classroom, an after-school program, or in your advisory group.

We encourage you to take different approaches, try different toolkits and activities, and frame with your students the broader context of the Six Degrees of Connection.

Step 3: Showcase Your Impact

Review the micro-grant application form below and make a plan for providing robust answers. This may include:

– using our provided feedback form (via the Architect Hub) to prime your students for reflection.

– brainstorming or discussing with your thought partners how you could make exponential ripples with a micro-grant.

– developing a plan to record your students to showcase the impact of this work on their learning and development. NOTE: Your creativity and documentation will strengthen your application.

– receiving informed consent from your students (and school) to share images or videos with us and have each person captured in photo/video fill out a consent form.

Step 4: Share your impact with us!

Complete the micro-grant application form below with your robust answers by:

APRIL 26, 2025

If you have questions or technical difficulties, contact Lindsay at Plus Wonder to receive support. Also check out our FAQs.

If your teaching practice was enhanced by these toolkits and our framework, or your students demonstrate growth through new skills in connection-building, we encourage you to share that on social media to reach other educators like yourself! Be sure to tag @pluswonder, so that we can amplify it to inspire others!

FAQs

Who is eligible for a micro-grant?

This opportunity is exclusive to Teach for America educators as part of a collaboration between our two organizations.

Eligible applicants are all of the following:

Teach for America alumni educators
current classroom educators
Plus Wonder Connections Architects (apply here)
those who can show evidence of implementing Plus Wonder teaching tools, including the Explorer/Architect toolkits or Connection Circles.

What are the criteria for evaluation of the micro-grant applications?

You can download our evaluation criteria here. It also includes details about the evaluators of the micro-grant applications.

How should I use video to share evidence of implementation?

To help us visualize your students’ learning journey, use can create short videos (less than 2 minutes) capturing student engagement with the exercises.

Video Tips:

Use your phone: Most smartphones can record high-quality videos.
Focus on the students: Ensure your students are clearly visible in the video.
Capture the moment: Briefly record a clip of students discussing, collaborating, or presenting their work.
Keep it short and sweet: A 30-second to 2-minute video is ideal.
Record horizontally: This format is best for viewing on screens of all sizes.
Minimize background noise: Try to record in a quiet space to ensure clear audio.

You can upload your videos on a platform like YouTube or Google Drive.

Apply for a micro-grant

TFA Micro-Grant Application Form

Your Name(Required)

This is the person applying for the micro-grant. They should also be a Plus Wonder Architect and the one who has implemented the toolkits with their students.

First Name(s)

Last Name(s)

Your Email(Required)

Your Current Classroom(Required)

This is the school and class or group where the toolkits were implemented. You must be a current classroom educator in charge of its instruction to be eligible for a micro-grant. You can add multiple schools and classes if applicable by clicking the plus button next to the fields below.

School Name

Class/Group Name & Grade(s)

Share your experience implementing Plus Wonder toolkits/exercises with your students.(Required)

How did you incorporate it within your schedule or content focus? Did you tie it into any other research, protocols, or projects you're working on? Did it tie into any specific learning targets?

Teacher Reflection on Students: Describe what you witnessed of your students after implementing the activities this partnership and the lessons from the Six Degrees of Connection positively affected your students, school, and the community.(Required)

We'd like to know your perspective on how the activities or framework affected your students. Can you compare student thoughts or behavior before and after implementation? Anything anecdotes you witnessed?

Student(s) Reflection on Activities: Please share any testimonials or reflections your students shared with you, sparked by the toolkit activities or the Six Degrees of Connection.(Required)

If you asked your students to submit their reflections, please copy and paste here (anonymous or attributed with their informed consent). You can also provide quoted comments your students shared with you in reflection or passing.

How would you use a micro-grant to continue or expand your support for partnering, connection, and collaboration skills in the classroom?(Required)

Share what you would do with the micro-grant in as much detail as you can provide at this time. Please explain how a micro-grant to you in service of your teaching would create exponential impact on your students and ripple outward from you.

Link to photo/video evidence of your implementation (and include student consent forms if they were filmed).(Required)

To help us visualize your students' learning journey, please share photos and/or short videos (less than 2 minutes) capturing their engagement with the exercises. See video tips in the FAQs above. Please upload photos and/or videos to a virtual folder (like Google Drive) and share an accessible link here. Also include in this folder a signed consent form for each person captured on video or photos. Download consent forms above within step 3.

CAPTCHA (insert consent form)

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We’d love to hear from you.

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“Partnering” by Jean Oelwang