Educators from across Oregon are invited to apply from Aug. 15–Sept. 30 for a $15,000 Regional Classroom Makeover or a $2,500 Creative Educator Grant
(Eugene, Oregón) — SELCO Community Credit Union will begin accepting applications on Saturday, Aug. 15 for more than $125,000 in educator support through two of its SELCO Steps Up education programs, each designed to help teachers who too often pay out of pocket for classroom-related expenses.
SELCO’s Regional Classroom Makeovers will fund three projects for up to $15,000 each. Además, SELCO otorgará docenas de becas para educadores creativos, cada una con un valor de hasta $2,500 y diseñadas para convertir proyectos imaginativos en realidad. Educators can apply for both programs through Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Los programas son parte de SELCO Steps Up, la iniciativa de alcance comunitario de la cooperativa de crédito, que tiene como objetivo fomentar un cambio significativo y duradero a través de patrocinios de organizaciones sin fines de lucro, voluntariado y financiamiento para estudiantes y educadores.
Since 2024, when SELCO Steps Up first launched Classroom Makeovers and vastly expanded Creative Educator Grants, the programs have supported an array of projects with nearly $250,000 in funding. From a makeover that launched a Career and Technical Education program at a Redmond middle school to grants that supported projects like a community water testing lab at Junction City High School.
"The response from Oregon's educators to these programs has exceeded our expectations," said Olivia Sorensen, SELCO's Community Development Supervisor. "We've had the honor of helping teachers create everything from ability-inclusive playgrounds to small, innovative classroom projects that might never have happened otherwise. It's a reminder that when teachers have the resources to bring their ideas to life, students and entire communities benefit. We're excited to open another round of applications and see what's possible next."
SELCO’s investment in educator support directly addresses the continued growing funding gap caused by rising costs and budget constraints. Con demasiada frecuencia, son los educadores quienes cierran este gap con fondos personales. According to the NEA, surveys suggest that teachers spend an average of $500-$900 of their own money on classroom expenses each academic year.
SELCO comenzará a aceptar solicitudes para los siguientes programas a partir del 15 de agosto:
- Cambios de imagen en el aula: Tres aulas K-12 recibirán cambios de imagen por un valor de hasta $15,000 cada una. "Aula" se define de manera amplia como cualquier espacio de aprendizaje escolar, incluidas las aulas tradicionales, bibliotecas, patios de recreo y gimnasios. Un comité de SELCO Steps Up selecciona a los finalistas en cada una de las tres regiones a las que sirve SELCO: el valle de Willamette, el centro y el este de Oregón, y el norte de Oregón. Then, through an online voting process held Nov. 1-7, SELCO members and the public at large select one winner from each region.
- Becas para educadores creativos: Diseñadas para educadores de K-12 con ideas creativas para el aula, pero que no tienen fondos para llevar a cabo esos proyectos. The program received a significant boost in 2024, increasing the value of each grant to as much as $2,500 per recipient (up from $1,000) to support larger and more impactful projects. Un panel de selección revisa las solicitudes en función de la originalidad del proyecto, la claridad de la propuesta, el número de estudiantes afectados, el potencial de desarrollo de habilidades y la diversidad e impacto de los proyectos.
Subvenciones para educadores creativos
SELCO’s Creative Educator Grant program awarded 40 grants worth $80,268 in 2025. Grants funded projects ranging from an entrepreneurial dog treat project at Pacific Crest Elementary in Bend to a “Sauvie Island Cookbook,” which connects students at Sauvie Island School northwest of Portland with the traditions and history of the island’s people.
Katelyn Thomson, a teacher at Sublimity Middle School, was among the 2025 grant recipients. Her grant helped fund several classroom projects, including a project to sew Valentine's Day coasters and deliver them to residents at an assisted living facility.
"My grant expanded our sewing and embroidery programs and gave me the ability to take on a larger class and teach students a real-life skill," Thomson said. "These classes were a big hit, and many students went on to develop their own projects at home. This grant program is absolutely amazing. It was so simple to apply, but the funds made a huge impact on our school."
Renovaciones del Aula
Last year, SELCO awarded $45,000 in Classroom Makeover funding, which included a new CTE space at Obsidian Middle School in Redmond, the transformation of an underutilized computer lab to a vibrant digital media arts center at Tualatin High School, and the renovation of The Great Hall Theater at the Waldorf School in Eugene.
"The reason I wanted to bring this program to Obsidian is because so many of these kids need something to connect them to our school and our community," said Dan Grubb, the teacher who created the CTE program at Obsidian Middle School. "The challenges we faced with this program before the makeover were the budget and funding. I'm really thankful to SELCO for making this happen."
Added Anneke Schoneveld, the Digital Media Arts teacher at Tualatin High School, "For me as a first-year teacher, this has been more than transformative. It's not just that my room can look nice and feel inviting, but it's allowed me real bandwidth to fully design this program."
For more information about SELCO Steps Up Classroom Makeovers or Creative Educator Grants, to view past recipients, or to apply, visit selco.org/steps-up/student-and-educator-support/. Si tienes preguntas, envía un correo electrónico a stepsup@selco.org.
Acerca de selco Steps Up:
El programa SELCO Steps Up tiene como objetivo crear un cambio positivo, innovador y duradero a través del voluntariado, el apoyo a recursos y la colaboración con los socios comunitarios. Solo en 2025, SELCO reinvirtió casi $415,000 en las comunidades a las que sirve a través de becas, subvenciones y patrocinios impulsados por el impacto, mientras que los miembros del equipo de SELCO se comprometieron a casi 1,700 horas de voluntariado. Como cooperativa de crédito fundada por maestros, la educación es un pilar fundamental de estos esfuerzos, con un enfoque en eliminar las barreras a la alfabetización financiera. Al empoderar a las personas y a las familias para alcanzar el bienestar financiero, SELCO se esfuerza por construir una base sólida para todos sus miembros y vecinos. Más información en selco.org/steps-up.
Acerca de SELCO crédito comunitario:
Fundada en 1936 por un grupo de profesores con mentalidad fiscal, la SELCO Community Credit Union, con sede en Springfield, hoy atiende a más de 150,000 miembros como una de las cooperativas de crédito más grandes y con mayor trayectoria en Oregón. A not-for-profit, federally insured, member-driven financial cooperative with more than $3 billion in assets, SELCO provides exceptional rates and low fees on a full range of financial products and services, including banking, mortgages, personal and business loans, investment management, and property & casualty insurance. Membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of the 27 Oregon counties or eight Washington counties SELCO serves. Para obtener más información o para hazte miembro hoy, pasa por una de las 15 sucursales de SELCO, visita selco.org, o llama al 800-445-4483.
Contactos
Jacob Berns, SELCO, 541-338-3841, jberns@selco.org
Zack Hall, DVA publicidad y relaciones públicas, 775-338-0745, zack@dvaadv.com
