At KidsGiving Press, we believe in planting seeds, not just through stories, but through education. The KidsGiving Teacher Awards was created to support the future of learning by providing awards to teachers and direct aid to schools in need.
We know that one great educator can change hundreds of lives. And that classrooms thrive when they’re seen, supported, and resourced with care.
20% of all book sales go to our Teacher Award fund
100% of donations go direct to teachers
2026 applications open 10/19/26. Winners announced 12/7/26
2025 - $500 award goes to a Mr. Martin who is building a full band program from the ground up — providing instruments, supplies, and repairs at no cost to students. His passion has sparked extraordinary growth, helping students prepare to perform at citywide events and competitions.
2025 - Our second $500 award supports a school librarian, Ms. Zito, working tirelessly to build a culture of reading with a $0 book budget. Despite this, she has created a joyful, inclusive, and thriving library where students see themselves in the stories they read.
Any teacher, staff, special ed provider or counselor working in a K-12 NYC school — this year we’ve expanded beyond Queens to all five boroughs. You must apply on our own behalf.
Our goal is $1,000 pool this year, split across 2–3 teachers. Applications are reviewed blind — judges never see the teacher’s name or school, only the proposal itself — and scored against four criteria: impact on students and the school community (40%), clarity of the proposal (20%), creativity and originality (20%), and equity, meaning whether it reaches high-need students (20%).
Last year that looked like $500 for a school’s band program and $500 for a librarian’s book budget. The pool comes from 20% of book sales plus a community giving push, so the total depends on what comes in.
A form will be available for application submission on 10/19/26