SELCO Invites Educators To Apply For More Than $125,000 In Funding Through Its Creative Educator Grant And Classroom Makeover Programs

Educators from across Oregon are invited to apply from Aug. 15–Sept. 30 for a $15,000 Regional Classroom Makeover or a $2,500 Creative Educator Grant

(EUGENE, Ore.) — SELCO Community Credit Union will begin accepting applications on Saturday, Aug. 15 for more than $125,000 in educator support through two of its SELCO Steps Up education programs, each designed to help teachers who too often pay out of pocket for classroom-related expenses. 

SELCO’s Regional Classroom Makeovers will fund three projects for up to $15,000 each. In addition, SELCO will award dozens of Creative Educator Grants, each worth up to $2,500 and designed to turn imaginative classroom projects into reality. Educators can apply for both programs through Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The programs are part of SELCO Steps Up, the credit union’s community outreach initiative, which aims to foster meaningful, lasting change through nonprofit sponsorships, volunteerism, and funding for students and educators. 

Since 2024, when SELCO Steps Up first launched Classroom Makeovers and vastly expanded Creative Educator Grants, the programs have supported an array of projects with nearly $250,000 in funding. From a makeover that launched a Career and Technical Education program at a Redmond middle school to grants that supported projects like a community water testing lab at Junction City High School.

“The response from Oregon’s educators to these programs has exceeded our expectations,” said Olivia Sorensen, SELCO’s Community Development Supervisor. “We've had the honor of helping teachers create everything from ability-inclusive playgrounds to small, innovative classroom projects that might never have happened otherwise. It's a reminder that when teachers have the resources to bring their ideas to life, students and entire communities benefit. We're excited to open another round of applications and see what's possible next."

SELCO’s investment in educator support directly addresses the continued growing funding gap caused by rising costs and budget constraints. Too often, it has been educators who bridge this gap with personal funds. According to the NEA, surveys suggest that teachers spend an average of $500-$900 of their own money on classroom expenses each academic year.

SELCO will begin accepting applications for the following programs starting Aug. 15:

• Classroom Makeovers: Three K-12 classrooms will receive makeovers worth up to $15,000 each. “Classroom” is loosely defined as any school learning space, including traditional classrooms, libraries, playgrounds, and gymnasiums. A SELCO Steps Up committee selects finalists in each of the three regions that SELCO serves: the Willamette Valley, Central and Eastern Oregon, and Northern Oregon. Then, through an online voting process held Nov. 1-7, SELCO members and the public at large select one winner from each region.

• Creative Educator Grants: Designed for K-12 educators with creative classroom ideas but lacking funds to get those projects off the ground. The program received a significant boost in 2024, increasing the value of each grant to as much as $2,500 per recipient (up from $1,000) to support larger and more impactful projects. A selection panel reviews applications based on project originality, proposal clarity, number of students affected, potential for skill development, and diversity and impact of projects. 

Creative Educator Grants

SELCO’s Creative Educator Grant program awarded 40 grants worth $80,268 in 2025. Grants funded projects ranging from an entrepreneurial dog treat project at Pacific Crest Elementary in Bend to a “Sauvie Island Cookbook,” which connects students at Sauvie Island School northwest of Portland with the traditions and history of the island’s people.

Katelyn Thomson, a teacher at Sublimity Middle School, was among the 2025 grant recipients. Her grant helped fund several classroom projects, including a project to sew Valentine’s Day coasters and deliver them to residents at an assisted living facility.

“My grant expanded our sewing and embroidery programs and gave me the ability to take on a larger class and teach students a real-life skill,” Thomson said. “These classes were a big hit, and many students went on to develop their own projects at home. This grant program is absolutely amazing. It was so simple to apply, but the funds made a huge impact on our school.”

Classroom Makeovers

Last year, SELCO awarded $45,000 in Classroom Makeover funding, which included a new CTE space at Obsidian Middle School in Redmond, the transformation of an underutilized computer lab to a vibrant digital media arts center at Tualatin High School, and the renovation of The Great Hall Theater at the Waldorf School in Eugene. 

“The reason I wanted to bring this program to Obsidian is because so many of these kids need something to connect them to our school and our community,” said Dan Grubb, the teacher who created the CTE program at Obsidian Middle School. “The challenges we faced with this program before the makeover were the budget and funding. I’m really thankful to SELCO for making this happen.”

Added Anneke Schoneveld, the Digital Media Arts teacher at Tualatin High School, “For me as a first-year teacher, this has been more than transformative. It’s not just that my room can look nice and feel inviting, but it’s allowed me real bandwidth to fully design this program.”

For more information about SELCO Steps Up Classroom Makeovers or Creative Educator Grants, to view past recipients, or to apply, visit selco.org/steps-up/student-and-educator-support/. For questions, please email stepsup@selco.org.

About SELCO Steps Up:

The SELCO Steps Up program aims to create positive, innovative, lasting change through volunteerism, resource support, and collaboration with community partners. In 2025 alone, SELCO reinvested nearly $415,000 in the communities it serves through educator grants, scholarships, and impact-driven sponsorships, while SELCO team members committed nearly 1,700 volunteer hours. As a credit union founded by teachers, education is a cornerstone of these efforts, with a focus on removing barriers to financial literacy. By empowering individuals and families to achieve financial well-being, SELCO strives to build a strong foundation for all its members and neighbors. Learn more at selco.org/steps-up.

About SELCO Community Credit Union:

Founded in 1936 by a group of fiscally minded teachers, Springfield-based SELCO Community Credit Union today serves more than 150,000 members as one of the largest and longest-standing Oregon-based credit unions. A not-for-profit, federally insured, member-driven financial cooperative with more than $3 billion in assets, SELCO provides exceptional rates and low fees on a full range of financial products and services, including banking, mortgages, personal and business loans, investment management, and property & casualty insurance. Membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of the 27 Oregon counties or eight Washington counties SELCO serves. For more information or to become a member today, stop by one of SELCO’s 15 branches, visit selco.org, or call 800-445-4483.