Adirondack Foreign Language Enhancement Fund

Adirondack Foreign Language Enhancement Fund (AFLEF)

Innovation, elevation, and excellence describe the aims of the Adirondack Foreign Language Enhancement Fund. Created to inspire French and Spanish teachers within Adirondack elementary, middle and high schools (K-12) to reach for the stars, the Fund also elevates the status of language teachers in the teaching community.

By the way, gifts to support this fund are welcome – you can donate here.

Submit Your Application

- The Adirondack Foreign Language Enhancement Fund will make grants to schools within or serving students living within, the Adirondack Park in New York State (Elementary, Middle and High Schools only) for initiatives that enrich and increase capacity for foreign language instruction. Priority will be given to language projects that go beyond a school's budget to:
  
  Support immersion in French and Spanish language and culture
  
  Open opportunities to explore new teaching technologies
  
  Promote collaborative initiatives among schools, such as partnerships with BOCES to maximize efficiency and impact
  
  Support career enhancement training for teachers including workshops and conferences
  
  Stretch beyond the norm through innovative projects
- Applications must be submitted through our Online Grants Manager after November 1, 2023.
- The deadline to apply is January 15, 2024.
- Grant amounts typically range from $500 to $3,000, but larger grants will sometimes be given for exceptional projects.
Grant applications will be accepted from schools located in or serving people of the Adirondack region, defined for this purpose by Adirondack Foundation as all of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton counties as well as the parts of Herkimer, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties within the Adirondack Park boundary. School districts within or serving a majority of students from any town in the aforementioned counties are eligible to apply.
- The fund does not support college-level instructors of foreign languages.
- Applications for language/cultural immersion field trips for both students and teachers will be considered if students and teachers take responsibility for much of the fundraising.
- Please be sure to describe the need that your program addresses and why it is important.
- If your application is successful and your program needs to change after being awarded a grant, you must check in with us before changing the way the funds will be used.

Steps to Follow

Application Process

1. Read the above to determine your eligibility.

2. If you have never used our Online Grants Manager, start by creating an account. If you already have an account, log in and follow the prompts.

For more information, visit our Online Grants Manager page.

3. Complete and submit your application.

You will receive an email confirmation after your application has been successfully submitted.

4. Wait to hear if you’ve received funding.

5. Promote your grant.

For those applicants who have been notified that they’ve received funding, you can access our Grantee Resources portal, where you’ll find sample press releases, sample social media posts, various versions of our logo, and other tools to help you share the good news. Don’t forget to tag us in your communications so that we can amplify your good work on our own digital channels.