QPS Foundation awards more than $70,000 in grants to QPS schools

QUINCY — The Quincy Public Schools Foundation recently distributed grant award notices for 19 applications totaling $72,444.34 in approved funding for use in the Quincy Public School District 172. The funds for this grant cycle will be made available after Jan. 1 and will be for use during the spring semester of the 2023-2024 school year.

In a press release, Heidi Lanier, executive director of QPS Foundation, said, “We are very excited about the grant applications submitted this grant cycle and are grateful to be able to provide funding for many of the projects that were submitted. We very much look forward to seeing the educators implement their great ideas. These projects will have a huge, positive impact on the student experience at Quincy Public Schools.”

The largest grant awarded this fall funds a new sewing machine lab for Quincy Junior High School. The $12,000 grant will allow 30 sewing machines and sewing materials to be bought for a new Life Skills class at the school.

Other grants funded by the Foundation were:

• Marching drum line equipment for QHS
• Tower garden growing system for Denman Elementary School
• Credit recovery Chromebook computers and cart for QHS
• Computers for journalism career readiness Part 2 for QHS
• Football ipads for sideline instant replay for QHS football
• Hot plates for Biology and Intro to Chemistry/Physics classrooms at QHS
• Play-based learning resources in first grade for Denman Elementary School
• Soccer goals for Denman Elementary
• Puberty Talk deodorants District-wide.
• Mobile standing desk at The Academy
• Subscription to Generation Genius for a second-grade class at Rooney Elementary School
• School counseling office conference room remodel at Quincy Senior High School
• Rooney house system supplies
• Ron Clark Academy house system materials for Baldwin Elementary
• Novels for 7th grade novel studies at QJHS
• “Parents are the KEY to the MAGIC of our SUCCESS!” – A parent engagement program at Lincoln-Douglas Elementary School
• Denman Coffee Guys — coffee cart for life skills
• Birthday boxes for social-emotional learning at Rooney Elementary School.

In addition to the approved grants, the QPS Foundation helped match eight applications with existing funding in the QPS District. Four applications were put on hold due to the chance funding for these projects would be available in the spring semester. The combination of foundation and district-funded grants resulted in nearly 92 percent of the applications being funded.

All QPS staff members are welcome to apply for funding through the foundation’s QPS Staff Grants, which award up to $1,500. Certified staff members are eligible to apply for Dream Big Grants, which are available for up to $25,000. The application period for spring grants reopens on Jan. 1. Funds for the next round of grants will be distributed in July for the 2024-2025 school year. To apply, visit qpsfoundation.org.