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Nationwide grants and awards
- US Chess Support for Title I Schools - 16 free US Chess youth memberships and 8 sets of equipment for US Chess affiliates serving Title I School chess programs. Nonprofit organizations and public schools with current US Chess affiliate memberships eligible to apply. 3 awards per affiliate limit.
- US Chess Support for Title I Schools traveling to National Tournaments - The 2024-2025 grant cycle for schools seeking support to travel to national scholastic tournaments is currently open.
- US Chess Trust “Chess for Youth” Program - The US Chess Trust can supply chess equipment to programs that include Title I students. Please review all Chess-for-Youth program requirements prior to submitting your request for participation in the program.
- The Andy Lerner Award for Excellence in Chess Education - Chess in the Schools proudly announces the Andy Lerner Award for Excellence in Chess Education, made possible by Andrew Lerner, esteemed member of the CIS Board of Directors. This new nationwide annual award recognizes exceptional work in chess education by those serving public schools or non-commercial children’s chess clubs. This year, there will be two Lerner Award recipients and four finalists decided upon by a committee of educators and members of the chess community. The two winners will each receive a $10,000 award. The award will be divided between the educator and their affiliated organization, each receiving $5,000. Awards of $2,000 will be given to finalists. Nominations due Nov. 15.
- ChessKid Grants for Schools and Teachers - free gold ChessKid accounts for your school. Read more and apply here.
- Chessable Research Awards, which support university-level chess research. One connection is that educators often pursue graduate degrees. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply for Chessable Research Awards.
Regional/State grants and awards
North Carolina: Indermaur Chess Foundation grant program provides 5 chess sets, Chess-Steps instructional material, ChessKid accounts, and online support to help NC schools start chess clubs. NC public, charter, and private schools are eligible to apply.
To share a program for chess educator support, please email Education@uschess.org
