Professional Excellence Grants

Rolling deadline throughout the year, contingent upon available funding.

Only State and Local Affiliates of NEA may apply for Professional Excellence Grants. All grantees will be expected to participate in a grant reporting and evaluation process during and at the close of the funding cycle (with continued funding contingent upon satisfactory progress reporting). In order to be considered, each grant proposal should include both narrative and budgetary information (with budget data tied directly to the proposed activities). Typically, funded grant requests range from $3,000 to $25,000 over a 1-year period.

Before you Begin:

1. Have an electronic copy of your Affiliate’s completed IRS W-9 Form available on your computer (you will be required to upload it in the next step). You can find a blank copy of the form in the downloads below. If you do not know your affiliate’s Federal Employee Identification Number (EIN), you can find:
   • State Affiliates EIN Quick Lookup in downloads below
   • Local Affiliates EIN Lookup via IRS Database
2. To submit your Affiliate's completed W-9, please click here. Within the capture form, please make sure to select the appropriate Center/Department to whom your affiliate is submitting a grant request.    
3. Download a copy of the blank State & Local Project Grant application (below), familiarize yourself with it and gather all required information.

How to Apply:

1. You will be required to create an NEA Applicant ID and Password if you are applying for the first time.  To create a new NEA Applicant ID and Password, click the New Applicant? link under the E-mail input box on the first page of the application and follow instructions.
2. Next you will be prompted for your Affiliate's EIN. You should already have this number from Step 1 of Before you Begin. If you cannot locate your EIN using the search resources provides and your grant application is time sensitive, a link is provided to bypass this requirement.
3. Once in the application, provide all required information.  The Save and Finish Later button will save your in-progress application to your NEA Applicant Account to complete later.
4. Finally, once you feel your application is complete, click the Review and Submit button.  Missing information will be flagged, and you will have to provide it before you can submit your application.
5. For questions, please email [email protected].

Click here to start a new Professional Excellence Grant application.

Return to saved Professional Excellence Grant application here