Grants & Funding

We understand budgetary constraints can be a hurdle for implementing new technologies. The good news is, there are numerous grant and funding opportunities available to K-12 schools across the US to help you invest in VR learning resources.

Funding Opportunities

As educators, we're driven by a desire to empower our students and bring innovative learning experiences to life. However, limited resources can often act as a barrier. Grant funding presents a powerful solution, offering the financial support to propel your institution's goals forward.

Don't be overwhelmed by the grant landscape! Utilize resources like the Department of Education listings and explore opportunities offered by education-focused non-profits. Remember – a targeted search for grants that align with your specific goals is key to securing the resources that empower you to achieve them.

Ready to get started today? Explore our resources below.

The US Department of Education offers Discretionary grants that are awarded using a competitive process to fulfill the Department's mission of promoting student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness, fostering educational excellence, and ensuring equal access.

The Department's grant competitions open between November and April. The number of grant opportunities depends on available funding from Congress, program competition cycles, and other program-specific factors. Grant competitions are not guaranteed to run annually.

Use keyword searches to find relevant grand opportunities. Alerts can be set to announce new opportunities that fit your criteria. Before submitting a proposal, always visit the hosting program office's website for additional information, pre-application webinars, and/or past successful proposals.

Click here for steps to apply to DOE discretionary grants.
Click here for a list of current DOE grants.
Click here to view upcoming DOE grants.
Click here to review a glossary of key terms.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) 21st CCLC Programs supports the creation of community learning centers that provide students, particularly those who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools, with opportunities for academic enrichment, personal enrichment, and other activities designed to complement the student's regular-day academics. The programs also engage adult family members of actively participating students through educational and personal development opportunities. The 21st CCLC grant is authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

provide safe environments for students during non-school hours and may have one or multiple centers/sites which may be located in schools, community facilities, and/or faith-based facilities. All centers must provide a range of high-quality services to support student learning and development, including, but not limited to: tutoring and mentoring, academic enrichment (e.g., homework assistance, reading, math, science, and technology programs), service learning, character education, physical education and recreational activities, and dropout prevention.

Each eligible entity that receives an award from the state may use the funds to carry out a broad array of before- and after-school activities (including those held during summer recess periods) to advance student achievement. These activities include:

Remedial education activities and academic enrichment learning programs, including those which provide additional assistance to students to allow the students to improve their academic achievement
Mathematics and science education activities
Arts and music education activities
Entrepreneurial education programs
Tutoring services, including those provided by senior citizen volunteers, and mentoring programs
Programs that provide after-school activities for limited English proficient (LEP) students and that emphasize language skills and academic achievement
Recreational activities
Telecommunications and technology education programs
Expanded library service hours
Programs that promote parental involvement and family literacy
Programs that provide assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled to allow them to improve their academic achievement
Drug and violence prevention programs
Counseling programs
Character education programs.

Click here for funding status and awards.
Click here to watch Dennis Elementary School's 21st CCLC Program

Due to the pandemic and the negative implications it has had on education, Congress announced the $13.2 billion Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund to allow state educational agencies to address the continued impact of COVID-19 in elementary and secondary schools.

With this ESSER funding, school districts can allocate spending on any authorized use under the 'Every Student Succeeds Act' (ESEA Reauthorization), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

Schools and districts may use this funding to purchase technology (including hardware, software and connectivity) for students who are served by the local educational agency. The technology must aid in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income students. The technology may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment for students with additional needs.

Application Template: https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/04/ARP-ESSER-State-Plan-Template-04-20-2021_130PM.pd
For questions about ESSER Funds, email If you have any questions please email: ESSERF@ED.gov

Each year, the Voya Unsung Heroes Awards Program selects 50 educators to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative classroom projects. Three of these educators are chosen to receive additional awards of $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000.

Applicants must be:

Employed by an accredited K-12 public or private school located in the United States.
Full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff with effective and innovative projects aimed at improving student learning.

This program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation's largest designer and manager of scholarship, tuition assistance, and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals.

To contact the Voya Unsung Heroes Awards Program, please email unsungheroes@scholarshipamerica.org.
Click here to review guidelines and create an account.

In 2023, Casey’s Cash for Classrooms Grant Program awarded $1 million to benefit K-12 public and nonprofit, private schools through 79 grants. Funding priorities include:

Physical Improvements – Projects to update and improve the school through repairs, enhancements or additions. This includes internal (building, classrooms) or external (playground, fields).
Materials Needs - Needs for supplies, technology, or other items that would enrich the learning environment and seek to increase student engagement.
Teacher Support - Programs that grow the skills of teachers, offer professional development or address training resources.
Community Engagement - Efforts to engage students with the community. Examples include external experiences like student volunteerism programs, camps or field trips.

Grants range from $3,000 to a maximum of $50,000 with funds used within 12 months of award. An organization may only submit one application during the current cycle. A school can receive more than one donation if submitted by different organizations. Grant Program open to K-12 public and private schools within Casey’s 16-state footprint: IA, IL, IN, AR, NE, MO, KS, KY, MI, MN, ND, OH, OK, SD, TN, WI.

The Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program was established in 1999 to recognize outstanding teaching and instructional creativity in public secondary schools that serve economically disadvantaged students. If you and your students have a special project that requires funding or would like to create a project that helps education reach new heights, fill out the Jordan Fundamentals application and apply for a grant today.

This program is enabled by the Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE, Inc., and administered by COMPASS Consulting, a private non-profit educational consulting firm, helping schools and communities develop more effective and equitable interventions, approaches and systems to improve student results.

Over the years, funded projects have:

Helped students placed at risk by poverty gain new opportunities to learn
Supported improvements to the quality of teaching
Empowered teachers
Enriched teaching and learning experiences
Supported active student engagement
Engendered students with a higher level of motivation to participate in the education
Linked with local and/or state frameworks and standards for curriculum and instruction

Applicants must be public school teachers or paraprofessionals working with students in grades 1 through 12. Jordan Fundamentals will consider grants in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. At least 50% of the school’s student population must be eligible for the free or reduced school lunch program at the time of application.

Applicants must develop and implement an educational approach that supports improved student academic achievement and/or social/emotional/behavioral interventions. Proposals may attempt to do this through any of the following program objectives:

student engagement
student teacher relationships
building the capacity of teachers. Student involvement in the proposal design is encouraged.

Grant amounts vary and awardees can apply for future grants averaging $10,000 to support up-scaling the project.

US National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. They offer hundreds of funding opportunities — including grants, cooperative agreements and fellowships — that support research and education across science and engineering. Grants amounts vary but in 2020 averaged $158,800 with an average duration of three years.

Find US National Science Foundation Grants here.

Our Virtual Reality Solutions are Crafted to

Combat Learning Loss

Virtual Reality can cause students to become more interested in course material, leading to higher levels of engagement and better performance on long-term assessments of learning says Educational Psychology Review.

Bridge Technology Gap

Digital technologies have been found to be beneficial for enhancing students' lifelong learning skills according to an article published in 2022 in the National Library of Medicine.

Back to Impact Hub

Boost Student Engagement

Students learning with a VR-based approach were more creative and had higher cognitive engagement than students learning with a pencil-and-paper or hands-on approach says the Journal of Interactive Learning Environments.

Nuture SEL Learning

VR can be used to enrich 21st-century skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and problem solving says the International Journal of Recent Contributions from Engineering, Science & IT.

Read the Research

Enhance Classroom Efficiency

VR technology can help teachers reallocate up to 30% of their time toward activities that support student learning says the World Economic Forum.

Increase Opportunities

VR can break down financial and geographic barriers by bringing immersive experiences like field trips or historical simulations directly to the classroom, increasing opportunity for all students.

Our Educational Solutions