The Educare Foundation provides support through the Waltman Mini Grants Program during the school year. The Foundation distributes more than $10,000 annually for mini grants, which are grants that do not exceed $500.  Educators may apply for mini grants throughout the school year. 

Example Mini Grant Request

Mini grant requests must be made by the last Thursday of the month in order to be considered for funding the following month.

DOWNLOAD Mini Grant Criteria (PDF)

DOWNLOAD Mini Grant Criteria (Word Document)

Ed Waltman Mini Grant Awards

• Rosa Parks Elementary, $497 for small group math manipulative including: pattern cards, chain links, sorting sets, color cubes, and stacking counters. (May 2012)
• Monroe Elementary School, $490 for autism classroom work boxes. 
• Kennedy Elementary School, $500 for leveled readers that will be used by 4th graders.
• Rosa Parks Elementary School, $492 to purchase an English language learners classroom library.
• Bridges Community School, $130 for a voice-to-text computer program.  This program types what students speak to help them better express their thoughts through writing.
• East High School, $500 for artist-in-residence Christopher Kirksey to work with students in studio arts. 
  Early Childhood program, $500 to purchase children's books and supporting materials needed for literature based curriculum, "Once Upon a Sound," used to improve speech sound production and early literacy skills.
• Roosevelt Elementary School, $500 to buy more than 20 sets of leveled reading books for use in kindergarten. 
• Jefferson Elementary School, $500, to fund a technology tool component for English learning language students of math intervention program, "Do the Math." 
• Early Childhood Special Education program, $150 to attend play lab at the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota. 
• All Mankato Area Public Schools' elementary schools, $450 to purchase nine MotiveAiders for speech/language students. 
• Bridges Community School, $500 to fund one set of Sento Smart Clickers for students to respond to questions by "clicking" and the responsed sync to to the teacher's computer or transmitted to the SmartBoard. 
• Dakota Meadows Middle School, $404 for a five-year subscription for an online program where students listen to books read aloud. The materials are for developmental cognitive disability and life skills students.
• Kennedy Elementary, Artist-in-Residence, Rachael Wick, $500
  Student Support Servs Center Transportation to Culinary Arts Career Day, Monde Schwartz, $500
• Hoover Elementary Airliners (smart board tool) Grade 5, Katherine Botten, $500
• East High School “BODIES’ Exhibit at MOA Admission, K Mueller/G Neiman $500 
• East & West High, Linkcrew Leadership training K Welter /K Barns, $500 
• Kennedy, ELL Students Transportation to Applebees for reading reward, A Volkman/D Dobitz $160 
• East & West High, SSSC Transportation to Business Ed Career Day, Monde Schwartz $500 
• DMMS Book Club Author visit and new books, Kari Healy, $500 
• West High, Hands on Solar Energy Panel, Dennis Jeske, $449 
• West High, Hands on renewable energy Wind Generator, Dennis Jeske, $469 
• Garfield Elementary, Science Mini Labs Angle Sheldrup, Jeff Dittmer, Cal Duis, $500 
• ECSE Birth-2 Special Ed family trip to Mankato Children’s Museum, Lynette Rohlfing, $210 
• East Jr. High, High-Interest Content Books for geography and Ancient civilization, Joan Tibben, $500 
• Eagle Lake Elementary, Whisper Reading-improving reading fluency, Carolyn Crawford, Brenda Waltes, $500 
• East and West Jr. High, Orchestra Hall visit, David Urness, $500 
• Jefferson Elementary, K-1 Math Games, Margo Becker, $490 
• Franklin Elementary, African Storyteller for International Festival, Jody McBride, $415 
• Kennedy Elementary, Visit MIA Native Am and African exhibits, Rachael Wick, $500 
• Washington Elementary, Roller-skating PE Curriculum, Karon Sheidon, $500 
• Roosevelt Elementary, Got Books, Summer magazine subscriptions, Ann Haggerty, $500 West High, iPod Touch/Spec Ed Math, Lori Piowlski, $448
• Franklin Elementary, Journey to Wild Divine, Tasha Landwehr, $309
• East Senior High School, Artist Christopher Kirksey, Laura Browender, $500
• West High, Tech Ed ad northwoods log furniture, Leif Johnson, $495
• East Highl, Physics Day at Valley Fair, David Burgess & Angie Eggert, $500
• Kennedy Elementary, Native American Wooden Toy Art Project, Rachael Wick, $220
• ECSE, Outdoor swing for vestibular stimulation, $500
• Eagle Lake Elementary, tone chimes for music class, $500
• East Junior High, classroom audio system for consumer science, Mary Draper, $500
• Monroe Elementary, Fluency thru Systematic Teaching Fourth Grade, $350