MICHIGAN CITY, IN—Unity Foundation of La Porte County invites Michigan City area educators to apply for grants to make learning and teaching more fun and impactful. Unity Foundation manages three grant programs for Michigan City teachers, each established by caring donors who believed in teachers as the critical factor for learning. Together, the programs have invested in more than 1,000 educators at Michigan City public and private schools for projects of their own design since the mid-1990s.

These grants of $400 to $500 each aim to support teachers as they find innovative ways to make learning possible for students. Teachers are invited to complete an application at uflc.net/grants/teacher-grants for projects to be implemented during the 2025-2026 academic year. The application deadline is October 15, 2025.

Two of the three programs are for teachers at K-8 public and parochial schools serving Michigan City:

• The Michigan City Education Foundation (MCEF) makes grants of up to $500 for hands-on or virtual activities in any academic area or life skills. In 1994 the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce, Mary Lou Linnen and Bud and June Ruby founded MCEF to empower educators.
• The Barbara A. Carmen Memorial Endowment Fund makes grants of up to $400 for items that will enrich curriculum or enhance a teacher’s ability to meet student needs. The Carmen Fund is dedicated to the memory of Barbara A. Carmen, a former Michigan City kindergarten and first grade teacher in both the public and parochial schools.

Both programs accept proposals from educators at the following schools: Barker Middle School, Coolspring Elementary, Edgewood Elementary, Joy Elementary, Knapp Elementary, Krueger Middle School, Lake Hills STEM Magnet Elementary, Marsh Elementary, Notre Dame Catholic School, Pine Fine Arts Magnet Elementary, Queen of All Saints Catholic School, Springfield Elementary and St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic School.

The third program is for Michigan City High School and La Porte County Career and Technical Education/A.K. Smith Career Center teachers and professionals:

• The Teacher Innovation Fund makes grants of up to $400 for equipment, supplies, tools for special programs or for ideas to enrich curriculum and enhance each professional’s ability to meet his or her students’ needs. It is designed to support educational professionals as they strive to reach their students. Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins and former Michigan City Mayor Chuck Oberlie provided the idea and the seed money for the Teacher Innovation Fund from their own personal funds.

“I am forever thankful and appreciative of the opportunities the Unity Foundation has provided not only for me, but also for the young scholars I am entrusted with every day.” said Sharon Arndt, Kindergarten Teacher at Edgewood Elementary and 2024-2025 MCEF grant recipient. “Thanks to Unity’s teacher grants, my students and I were able to dream, plan, and create a Calming Corner together. Now, they have a safe space where they feel encouraged, cared for, and ready to succeed.”