Over 100 grants totaling more than $300,000 will go to instructors in Orange County K-12 schools this year, to support classroom projects and field trip learning opportunities for their students
IRVINE, Calif. (Feb. 4, 2025) — Together, the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) and the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation proudly celebrated local teachers who received grants through OCCF’s Inspired Teacher Grant Program at a special reception. The event featured remarks by Arnold & Mabel Beckman Foundation CEO Anne Hultgren, OCCF CEO Shelley Hoss, and Sona Shah, founder of My Private Professor, who brought her vision of the Inspired Teacher Grant program to OCCF.
The Inspired Teacher Grant Program was bolstered in July 2024, when OCCF received a $100,000 grant from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation to enhance STEM education. This funding supports hands-on classroom projects and field trips that foster experiential learning, deepen student understanding, and improve academic outcomes aligned with California curriculum standards.
Before launching the Inspired Teacher Grant Program, OCCF managed the FEDCO Charitable Foundation Grant Program in partnership with the California Community Foundation from 2006 to 2019. That program concluded during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, My Private Professor CEO & Founder Sona Shah, inspired by her experience as an OCCF fund advisor and founder of the Inspire Philanthropy Fund, collaborated with the organization to launch a similar grant program.
From 2023 to 2024, OCCF awarded nearly $300,000 through 95 grants, benefiting15,075 students. At the recent reception, Hoss announced that thanks to the combined support of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, the Sun Family Foundation, the Inspire Philanthropy Fund, and other OCCF donors, the program will distribute 102 grants totaling $315,291 in 2025.
The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation’s support offers a unique opportunity for Orange County high schools to enhance their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and STEAM (STEM + Arts) projects. Grants funded by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation empower educators to develop innovative and impactful educational initiatives that can significantly enrich their students’ learning experiences.
OCCF is recognized as the center of gravity for Orange County philanthropy. For 35 years, it has been an unparalleled resource for local philanthropists and their families by offering unique insights, deep knowledge, and a diverse array of tools to support lifetime and legacy giving. To learn more about the Orange County Community Foundation, visit www.oc-cf.org.
About Orange County Community Foundation
The Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) combines giving strategy, community intelligence, enduring relationships, and heartfelt intention to amplify the power of giving and its profound result: greater good in Orange County, and beyond. We serve as a resource for individual and family philanthropists, facilitate grant and scholarship programs, and lead community-based initiatives. We inspire giving and connect people and resources to create sustainable impact, granting more than $1.1 billion since 1989 in Orange County, across the country, and around the world. For more information, visit oc-cf.org or call (949) 553-4202. Be a part of our conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. View OCCF’s 2024 annual report here.
About Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation
Located in Irvine, California, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation supports researchers and nonprofit research institutions in making the next generation of breakthroughs in chemistry and the life sciences. Founded in 1977 by 20th century scientific instrumentation pioneer Dr. Arnold O. Beckman, the Foundation supports United States institutions and young scientists whose creative, high-risk, and interdisciplinary research will lead to innovations and new tools and methods for scientific discovery. For more information, visit beckman-foundation.org.
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