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National Board Certification (NBC) Grant Opportunities

To ensure every student is taught by an accomplished teacher, it is important to look at opportunities for quality professional growth. The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has designed National Board Certification to develop, retain, and recognize accomplished teachers. The National Board is widely regarded as the gold standard for teacher certification, advocating that elevated standards for educators lead to improved learning outcomes for students.

Please note: This certificate is not a nationally accepted certificate to be used in lieu of a state-issued certificate or license to teach.

Local education agencies (LEAs), both traditional public school districts and public school academies (PSAs), and intermediate school districts (ISDs) must apply for eligible educators.

 

Definition of Title I: Teacher must be employed in a designated schoolwide Title I building.

Full Statutory Language

 

In the Media

Awards Granted

27m Recognized Achievement Grant

The 27m Recognized Achievement grant awards money to eligible teachers who hold National Board Certification at the time of application.

Awarded on first-come, first-served basis.

 

Timeline

Round 2 application will open soon! Please regularly check webpage for updates.

Application opens: January 13, 2025

Application closes: February 26, 2025, at 5;00 p.m. (EST)

Award period: May 2025 (tentative)

 

Eligibility

To be eligible, a Michigan teacher must:

  • hold National Board Certification at the time of application submission.
  • hold a valid or expired Michigan teaching certificate.
  • be employed in a classroom and teach at least 50% of the teacher’s full-time hours, as determined by the district or intermediate school district.
  • be employed by the district or intermediate school district as teachers, including those in teacher leadership roles as a peer assistance and review coach, mentor, or other teacher support provider if the position does not require a school administrator certificate.

Grant Awards

Teachers may receive up to $4,000. If employed in a schoolwide Title I building teachers shall receive up to $10,000.

Eligible teachers may receive a grant award, including teachers who received an award in the previous round.

27m(7) First-Time Candidate Grant

The 27m(7) First-Time Candidate grant awards money to eligible teachers employed in Schoolwide Title I buildings pursuing National Board Certification for the first time.

APPLICATION IS NOW CLOSED. Please regularly check webpage for updates.

Awarded on a first-come, first-served basis

Timeline

Round 2 application

  • Applications closed: September 30, 2024
  • Award period: December 2024 
 

Eligibility

To be eligible, a Michigan teacher must:

  • teach in a schoolwide Title I school.
  • pay for and complete one or more National Board Certification components for the first time.
  • hold a valid or expired Michigan teaching certificate.
  • be employed by the district or intermediate district as teachers, including those in teacher leadership roles as a peer assistance and review coach, mentor, or other teacher support provider if the position does not require a school administrator certificate.

Grant Awards

4 components x $475 = $1900
3 years x $75/year application = $225

Teachers in schoolwide Title I buildings pursuing NBC for the first time are eligible to receive funding for the successful completion of four components.

27m(7) Spending

27m(7) Spending

Fiscal Year (FY) - Round

Application Date

Award Date

Spending Deadline

FY24 Award – Round 1

January 2024

April 2024

Grant awards used by September 30, 2026. Unexpended funds will be pulled back.

FY25 Award – Round 2

September 2024

December 2024

Grant awards used by September 30, 2027. Unexpended funds will be pulled back.


Learn More About National Board Certification

National Board Certification 

 

How to Apply 

Applicant cannot be the teacher - it must be a district representative.  

Districts, PSAs, and ISDs are welcome to apply by completing the following steps:  

  1. Review this webpage's information to familiarize yourself with the most recent information about the grants.   
  2. Establish or confirm your access to MiLogin for Third Party Users
  3. Login and request access to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) as the agency and Grant Electronic Monitoring System/Michigan Administrative Review System (GEMS/MARS) as the application.  Note: This will ONLY work on the Third Party MiLogin site.   
  4. Login and access GEMS/MARS.
    1. Use the program office dropdown and select Office of Educator Excellence from the list to narrow the list of questionnaires.
    2. Find the appropriate Questionnaire: 27m National Board Recognized Achievement Round 2
    3. Click the "view questionnaire" icon. 
  5. Complete the application online GEMS/MARS application and click “Submit” when done.
  6. The department is unable to provide status for up to 6 weeks following the submission of the application.   

Already applied? These are the next steps in the process:

  • Grant award notifications (GANS) will be shared with institutions.
  • Payments will be made to the district, PSA, or ISD.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Local education agencies (LEAs), both traditional public school districts and public school academies (PSAs), and intermediate school districts (ISDs) are eligible to apply.

    Individual educators are not eligible applicants; they are encouraged to inquire with their building or district administration about submitting a grant application.

  • No, as eligibility rules above indicate, administrators are not eligible for either grant.

  • Yes. A copy of an application template is available for download. Additionally there is a technical assistance video. MDE recommends districts use these resources to carefully draft their responses, keeping a copy for their own records and reference.

  • 27m National Board Recognized Achievement grant awardees will receive grant money via State Aid:

    27m(7) National Board First Time Candidate grant awardees will receive grant money via State Aid:

  • ROUND 1: The 27m National Board Recognized Achievement grant awards were made end of April via school state aid. Teachers may contact their district business office or district financial representative for information regarding grant awards.

    ROUND 2: Awards are tentatively scheduled to be made end of May 2025 via school state aid. It will be the responsibility of districts to make payments to teachers.

  • Districts are able to develop and establish their own procedures to meet their grant management needs with the understanding that unused funds will be pulled back. Districts will need to consider different scenarios. 

  • The district must report when an educator leaves their district so that funding may be pulled back at that time.

  • According to the Section 27m subsection (3)(a), to receive an award, eligible teachers must meet the following: Be employed in classroom teaching at least 50% of the teacher's full-time hours, as determined by the district or intermediate district.  

    All grants are subject to audit. Districts are responsible for determining and ensuring that their candidates qualify. While we would love to honor all who have achieved National Board Certification, the grant must be implemented as described in the statute. 

  • Yes, please contact ORS with questions. 

    Please see ORS Public School Reporting Units for more information. Reportability of additional educational funding.

  • No. Districts must award teachers the entire award amounts of $4,000 or $10,000 as stipulated by Section 27m.

  • Section 18a of the Michigan State School Aid Act states that grant recipients must expend funds awarded to them before the end of the fiscal year following the year in which the funds were received. If the recipient does not expend the funds, they must submit a report to the department by November 1st at the end of each fiscal year and return any unexpended funds to the department by September 30th of the second fiscal year.

  • The statute allows for one award per fiscal year. Please contact MDE at MDE-EdWorkforceGrants@Michigan.gov.

For more information or support, please contact MDE-EdWorkforceGrants@Michigan.gov