The MPAEF funded Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grants enable teachers to pursue innovative teaching programs in their classroom and provide educational experiences that students would otherwise not be able to have. The grant program began in 1984 to honor Jeanie Ritchie, one of MPAEF's founders.  The Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grants  are a part of the annual grant provided by MPAEF to the school district and are an important part of the Foundation’s motto, "Investing in Education. Together."

Annually, teachers with unique teaching concepts prepare a comprehensive proposal for the Jeanie Ritchie Grant committee to review and determine if it meets the program's three key qualities of innovation, curriculum enhancement and sustainability.  

MPCSD teachers have been applying for Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grants for 38 years, and each year, the program grows. In the first grant cycle during the 1984-1985 school year, 8 projects were funded with a total of $2,200. Most recently, in 2024-2025 , 31 grant projects were approved with $51,250 in funding! See list of grant awardees below. This included special funds donated by California Water Service to support Water Conservation focused grant projects.

Teachers - Interested in Applying for a Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant? 

The applicaiton period for grants for the 2024-2025 school year is CLOSED. If you are a teacher, MPCSD staff or student that is interested in applying for a Jeanie Ritchie Grant for the 2025-2026 school year, below are the instructions for applying for a grant in Fall 2024. Please follow the steps outlined below - and then check back in May 2025 with informaiton on submitting a grant in Fall 2025:

• Fill out a 2024-2025 Grant Application Document and submit via e-mail to jeanieritchiegrants@mpaef.org by October 4, 2024.  You will receive an email confirmation once your grant has been successfully submitted.

• Important Note: Please closely review Page 1 of the grant application as it includes specific instructions on how to successfully submit your grant for consideration.

• Review the Grant Review Rubric to know how grants are evaluated and email us at jeanieritchiegrants@mpaef.org with any questions. 

• CLICK HERE to check out a few successful grant applications from the past. 

If you have any questions about your grant application please feel free to email the Jeanie Ritchie Grant Committee Chairs at jeanieritchiegrants@mpaef.org.

2024-2025 Grant Awardees:

Below is a full list of this year’s awardees and the projects they will implement during the 2024-2025 school year. Grants with an * are those that were funded by California Water Service focusing on Water Conservation. Grants wiht an ** are those that were funded with the MPAEF Fund-a-Need, “Students as Scientists.”