In support of education in Western Washington, BECU has awarded community grants to 49 local schools, including four in Auburn – Cascade Middle School, Lakeland Elementary, Meredith Hill Elementary, and Thomas Jefferson High School.

It is the 11th year that BECU has awarded more than $100,000 in community grants to support education projects that help promote student excellence.

“BECU school grants allow us to support programs that previously lacked the funding to get started,” said Tom Berquist, senior vice president of member strategies at BECU. “We love awarding grants that can make an impact on student success and are inspired every year by the schools who receive the grants.”

BECU school grants are given out each year to local schools to help fund educational materials, programs and events, environmental learning trips, and technology tools such as calculators, microscopes, electronic dictionaries and more. Grants are awarded in three categories: financial literacy, environmental sustainability and technology tools. Each grant is awarded based on specific need up to a maximum of $2,500.

The funding for recipients will go toward a variety of school programs, from green school certification, to outdoor education and technology for literacy and math. BECU received approximately 84 applications and narrowed it down to 49 based on eligibility of the request, impact on student learning, number of students reached with grant funds, and potential on-going use of the item or program.