Opportunity Overview
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) is accepting 2026 applications for its Learning Links program, which provides small grants to public school teachers for hands-on, creative learning projects designed to increase student enthusiasm for learning and support academic improvement.
Funding and Deadline
Maximum applicant value: Up to $1,000 per teacher. A group project serving multiple classrooms or a school-wide activity or club may request up to $1,000 per participating teacher or classroom.
Deadline: September 25, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. CFWNC states that applications are due at 5:00 p.m. on the last Friday in September. The current program page does not publish a time zone, so Atlas does not infer one.
Eligibility
Learning Links is available to public schools in Avery, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary. Each application must be submitted by the lead teacher or project coordinator and approved by the school principal.
Allowable Projects and Restrictions
Projects must be hands-on, innovative and creative, aligned with the classroom’s current curriculum, and directly related to academic improvement. Grants may support a single classroom, grade level, multiple classrooms, or a school-wide activity or club.
CFWNC states that Learning Links does not pay teacher or staff compensation, does not fund basic school equipment such as computers or furniture, and does not support activities or expenses incurred before grant decisions are made.
Match, Forms and Submission
Match or cost share: The current public program page does not state a mandatory match or cost-share requirement.
Submission mechanics: Applications are submitted through CFWNC’s online grant application system. The online application is available beginning in early August and must be completed by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date. The public program page does not enumerate separate mandatory attachment files; applicants should follow the live online application as controlling for any required fields or uploads.
Atlas Fit Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 62/100. This is a verified, open, locally administered education grant with a clear applicant population, deadline and online submission path, but the small award ceiling limits strategic scale.
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. The Nonagon N9+ device and platform should not be forced into this opportunity. Learning Links is intended for hands-on creative classroom learning, while basic school equipment is excluded and the $1,000-per-teacher ceiling does not support a defensible connected clinical-examination deployment.
Dr. Miltie/QC Healthcare role: No direct-applicant or direct-vendor role is supported by the published eligibility and program purpose.
Contacts
Program and eligibility questions: Amber Harrelson-Williams, Scholarship Officer, harrelson@cfwnc.org, 828-367-9916. Technical assistance with the online grant system: Diane Crisp, Senior Grants Manager, crisp@cfwnc.org, 828-367-9904.
Controlling source: Community Foundation of Western North Carolina — Learning Links.
Verified September 13, 2026.