Applications for 2024 Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants are now available online at https://www.mgccf.org/grants. The application deadline is September 30, 2023.
Funded by Hancock Whitney and administered by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF), the Seal grants recognize up to 10 outstanding teachers with individual one-time grants of up to $2,000 to activate creative teaching proposals enhancing students’ learning experiences and supporting Mississippi educational requirements.
Certified K-12 teachers at public and private schools in the eight Mississippi counties with Hancock Whitney locations — Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Madison, and Pearl River — are eligible to apply.
Hancock Whitney and GCCF will recognize 2024 grant recipients at an awards luncheon in the first quarter of 2023.
How to Apply
To apply for 2024 Seal grants, teachers submit full project proposals by the September 30, 2023, deadline, detailing how their projects can enhance students’ educational experiences while supporting state curriculum. This year’s application timeline facilitates awarding funds to activate winning projects for the spring academic schedule.
“We encourage all eligible outstanding educators to apply for the Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grant awards,” said GCCF President and Executive Director Christen H. Duhé. “In today’s economy and with more and more demands on school budgets, the Seal grants help underwrite learning activities that enrich students’ education and provide real-life experiences in a variety of academic areas.”
GCCF coordinates selection of grant recipients by an independent committee of business, community, and educational representatives not affiliated with Hancock Whitney.
More about the Seal Grants
Hancock Whitney established the Seal grant program in 1994 as a permanent endowment of the GCCF Pat Santucci Friends of Public Education program. First presented in 1996, the awards pay tribute to the community commitment and leadership of Leo W. Seal, Sr., the bank’s president from 1932 until his death in 1963, and his son, the late Leo W. Seal, Jr., the bank’s chief executive for 45 years. Throughout their lives, both men championed countless economic and educational opportunities across the Gulf Coast.