The Fund for Geo-Literacy supports the National Geographic Society's efforts to promote and improve geo-literacy across the United States. Donations to the Fund support the development and distribution of print and online materials for learners, professional development for educators, and programs to build awareness of the importance of geo-literacy.

STUDENT MATERIALS
Each year, thousands of teachers, students, and parents use learning resources created by National Geographic Education. These include photos, videos, maps, and activities for schools, homes, and anywhere else people learn. Most of these are available free from the National Geographic Education website. National Geographic also brings state-of-the-art technology into the classroom through programs like the Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Project, a “community geography" initiative in which students throughout the Chesapeake watershed collect and analyze data using FieldScope, National Geographic Education’s interactive mapping and analysis software.

TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
National Geographic Education develops face-to-face and online professional development programs for teachers. We also fund a network of Geography Education Alliances across the U.S. to develop and deliver their own professional development programs. National Geographic Education’s signature professional development program is the National Teacher Leadership Academy. This academy recognizes teachers with uncommon leadership ability and prepares them to serve as teacher leaders in their district or state. The Academy is a two-year program in which teachers focus on their own teaching in the first year and focus on facilitating professional development in the second.

The Impact of National Geographic Education’s Programs

Peggy Steel Clay, retired teacher, first Teacher-in-Residence at National Geographic:
"I received from the National Geographic Society an awareness that I mattered. They cared about me—and they wanted to make sure that I had all that they had, so that I could bring it back home."

Charlie Fitzpatrick, K-12 Education Manager at ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute):
"[Working at NGS]... Focusing on geography for hour after hour and days on end, I began to see patterns, relationships, and interaction where before had drifted a numbingly vast sea of details... What had begun as a pleasant little voyage of personal discovery had morphed into a mission that continues—to help people see and embrace the richness and relationships in the world around them, to be sentient decision-makers, and to understand the infinite ways in which geography matters."

Support the Fund for Geo-Literacy
National Geographic’s Geo-Literacy initiatives are supported in part by membership dues and proceeds from other activities. However, we also rely heavily on donations to support our programs.

Become a partner with National Geographic and classroom teachers across America by supporting the Fund for Geo-Literacy. Your tax-deductible contribution supports the development and distribution of world-class teaching materials, expansion of geographic technology in classrooms, and national teacher training workshops. We depend on the support of people like you to make education programs possible. Your gift of $25, $45, $100, or more will give our kids and teachers the best tools and resources so that our students of today can be tomorrow's global leaders. Donate today!