Bridging Funding Gaps with Classroom Grants

January 2026 | education + family

Article by Stephanie Hobby

Last year, the Billings Education Foundation awarded a whopping $150,000 in classroom grants for things like Skyview’s Digital Media Club’s television and podcast production equipment, and an alphabet planter box herb garden at Meadowlark Elementary School.

One repeat recipient, Gina Walsh, is a special education teacher at Rimrock Learning Center’s preschool. “Many of our students learn through hands-on and sensory experiences, but a lot of those materials are costly. We want to provide these toys to help them stay engaged, focused, and confident,” she said, adding that grants have also purchased adaptive crayons and scissors, and supplied sensory seating.

“The Education Foundation has been very supportive, which has allowed us to get all the materials we need to just really, truly transform our learning environment,” she said.

A classroom favorite is the interactive Lakeshore Storytelling Kits; for The Three Little Pigs, Walsh has not only puppets but also building materials. “They build the house out of each kind of material, and then we’re learning and can say, ‘See how easy that was? And it was easy to make it fall down!’”

New this year, grants will shift from once in the spring to be awarded three times per year: October, January, and April. BEF’s Director of Donor & Community Relations, Shelley Pierce, says this new cycle distributes funds more quickly and provides support to navigate the process.

Typically ranging from $500 to $5,000, grants are supported by private donors and businesses such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Burlington Northern Foundation, Phillips 66, and TDS Fiber, among others.

“The grants are just so important, because we know that classroom budgets are not always met. There are a lot of tools that teachers can use to inspire and promote that creative learning, but they just don’t have the resources or the funding to do that within the normal school budget,” Pierce said. “It’s just so important, because it otherwise might not happen.”

Originally printed in the January 2026 issue of Simply Local Magazine

Check this article out in the digital issue of Simply Local here!

Stephanie Hobby

Stephanie Hobby is married to an awesome Billings guy. They love skiing, hiking, traveling, and other adventures with their two fun kids and crazy dog.

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