Science minigrants are awarded annually. Applications are due in September. The deadline for 2009 applications was September 15.

As a middle school science teacher, you know first-hand how science experiments can foster students' curiosity and instill a love of learning. But, science experiments can also be costly to execute and can easily exhaust consumable materials for classroom projects.

Arkansas Community Foundation's Science Initiative for Middle Schools (SIMS) provides $500 awards to Arkansas public school teachers in grades 5, 6, 7 and 8 to purchase consumable science materials. Annual funding for this program is made possible by an endowed gift to ARCF from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.

Grants are available to teachers in counties served by ARCF's central office in Pulaski County and our 27 local offices across the state:

Ahsley	Fulton	Mississippi
Baxter	Garland	Monroe
Calhoun	Greene	Montgomery
Carroll	Hempstead	Ouachita
Chicot	Howard	Phillips
Clark	Izard	Pope
Cleburne	Jefferson	Pulaski
Columbia	Johnson	Sebastian
Conway	Lee	Sevier
Craighead	Lincoln	Sharp
Cross	Little River	St. Francis
Desha	Marion	Washington
Faulkner	Miller	White

Teachers in other counties can apply for grants through the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.

Through a partnership with DonorsChoose.org, we're introducing a streamlined online application process. Go to www.DonorsChoose.org/SIMS to complete an online application and select the science materials you need for your project. If your project is selected, DonorsChoose will ship your materials directly to you at your school. It's that simple! 

For information about the 2009 grant guidelines and application instructions, go to www.DonorsChoose.org/SIMS now.