HOUSTON — Fund for Teachers, the country’s largest investor in preK-12 educators, has named seven of our own, a 2024 Fund for Teachers Fellow. Mike Birk of YES Prep Southwest Secondary, James Sheridan of YES Prep East End Secondary, Erik Fowler of YES Prep North Central Secondary, Tim Floyd of YES Prep Northbrook Middle School, Brian Turner of YES Prep Northbrook Middle School, Denny Nathan of YES Prep Northbrook Middle School and Carla Garcia of YES Prep Airline Elementary will receive grants for their respective fellowships. 

Each recipient designed their fellowship and submitted a grant proposal specifically to address opportunities they recognized were missing in their classroom and for their students. The 365 awardees will receive $1.6 million in Fund for Teachers grants for experiential learning this summer.

YES Prep's lucky seven will travel to places like Greece, Italy, Mexico, and Peru as well as to New York and Georgia here in the US.

Fund for Teachers grants are nationally unique because they recognize and support teachers as the most important learner in the classroom. “A curious, enthusiastic teacher who is dialed into their students’ learning gaps and lived experiences changes the lives of those students and their families,” said Karen Eckhoff, executive director. 

A complete list of 2024 FFT Fellows can be found on the Fund for Teachers website at fundforteachers.org. 

 ---

Since 2001, Fund for Teachers has invested $37 million in nearly 10,000 preK-12 educators, transforming grants into growth for teachers and their students. The nonprofit organization also re-invests in its grant recipients by awarding Innovation Circle Grants to fund Fellows’ independent research during the summer, followed by virtual collaboration with other Fellows and led by a Fellow. Over the past two decades, FFT Fellows have pursued new knowledge and insights in 170 different countries on every continent, with the majority remaining in North America. Visit www.fundforteachers.org for more information.