2026-2027 John Maitland Agriculture Awareness Grant

Maitland Agricultural Awareness Grant

Bring new thoughts and ideas in agriculture to life in your classroom!

Who: McLean County K–12 teachers
What: Apply for up to $1,000 to support lessons that increase student awareness of agriculture. Creativity encouraged—topics can go beyond traditional farming to include technology, sustainability, global food systems, drones, robotics, soil science, and more!
Why: Sponsored by University of Illinois Extension McLean County and the family of retired Illinois Senator John Maitland, who believed in inspiring youth to understand agriculture’s local and global impact.
How: Funds are awarded as reimbursement for approved supplies and resources.
Deadline: Apply online by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 30, 2026
Announcements: Recipients announced on November 11, 2026, with recognition at the McLean County Chamber of Commerce Ag Breakfast in March 2027

Teachers, we can’t wait to see the innovative and hands-on lessons you’ll create!

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Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Street Address

Street Address 2

City

State

ZIP

Daytime Phone

Evening Phone

E-mail Address

In your own words, please answer all of the following questions.

What grade level do you teach?

What McLean County school do you teach at?

Total Amount Requested. You may request up to $1000.

Please share your proposal for a project that will incorporate and promote agriculture in your classroom. Give a summary of the project in which you will utilize the funding.

What is the primary content area for this project? Please also provide any additional content areas if this project will be cross-curricular. (Ex: Science, Language Arts and Reading.)

What learning standards will you cover in this lesson? Please provide at least one Next Generation Science Standard or state-approved Learning Standard that will be covered in this agriculture-based project.

What resources do you need for your proposed agriculture-based project in your classroom? Provide a bullet list of resources required for the proposal.

What will students know after this project is complete? (Ex: Students will know how the plant life cycle is affected by the amount of light a plant receives.)

What skill will students achieve during this project? (Ex: Students will be able to explain the importance of light to the growth of a plant.)

What does success of this project look like? Please explain how you will know if learning has occurred. (Ex: Data from a written pre-assessment and post-assessment will be compared to measure increased understanding of the content.)

How will you differentiate to accommodate for diverse learners given the nature of the project? (Ex: ELL, students with an IEP or 504, accelerated learners, etc.)

Civil Rights Compliance - Participant Info

As part of our commitment to providing equal opportunities in our programming, University of Illinois Extension is required to collect and report overall statistics about the race, ethnicity, and gender of program participants. Your responses are voluntary and appreciated.

Gender

Ethnicity

Race