Grants your school or library applies for

Here’s a rule that trips a lot of teachers up: for some of the best-funded programs, the school or library is the legal applicant — not you. That’s not a dead end. You still do the work of writing the request; your principal or librarian just puts their name and the school’s tax ID on it. Knowing this up front saves you from filling out the wrong form.

This is the School Hat in The Three Hats Test — before you apply for anything, decide whether you, your school, or your PTA is the right applicant.

The programs

• Walmart Spark Good Local Grants — $250–$5,000, decided by your local store on a quarterly cycle. The school needs an NCES number or 501(c)(3) and a free Spark Good account verified through Walmart’s partner. You draft the request; the school submits it; the local facility manager decides. Confirm the current quarter’s window on walmart.org before you plan around it.
• Dollar General Youth Literacy Grants — for schools, libraries, and nonprofits within 15 miles of a Dollar General store or distribution center. The 2026 window ran March 5 to April 2, so it’s a late-winter program — mark it for next year.
• Laura Bush Foundation — up to $5,000 to grow a school library’s book collection, for Title I public schools. The librarian usually writes it; the current window is closed, and the next is expected to open in the fall.

How to tee it up

1. Draft the request yourself — you know the classroom need best.
2. Bring it to your principal or librarian early, with the amount and any obligations spelled out.
3. Make sure the school’s registration (NCES number, 501(c)(3), or Spark Good account) is in place before the window opens, not during it.

Walmart's current-quarter dates and Dollar General's exact award cap weren't firmly posted at our last check (accessed 2026-07-04) — confirm both on the funder site before you rely on a number.