The VerityEd Classroom Grant

A group of four students and a teacher in a classroom, discussing a tree with papers and images stopped on its branches, symbols of knowledge and ideas. The students are engaged and attentive, with books, notebooks, pencils, and a globe on the table, and sunlight coming through the window illuminating the scene.

We’re selecting 20 educators to pilot Media Literacy & VerityEd lessons and help shape the future of media literacy in classrooms worldwide.

Selected educators receive a minimum of $1,000 to support implementation, plus optional bonuses and recognition.

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Grant Details

As an Educator Grant recipient, you will: pilot media literacy lessons in your classroom; tell us what works and what doesn’t; show us what students actually learn; help other teachers by sharing what you discover; and build the movement by bringing more educators into this work.

Map of the United States with three people studying in front of it, connected to a zoomed-in map of the United Kingdom showing Oliver Brown, with labels pointing to locations of Nina Pizarro in Bronx, New York, Erin Tran in Lake Dallas, Texas, and Dianne Connery in Pottsboro, Texas.

What We Provide

Each selected educator receives a minimum of $1,000 total: $500 for flexible classroom support(e.g., printing, materials, library/media resources, subscriptions, guest speakers), receipts required, and $500 educator honorarium to recognize additional time involved for workshops, interviews, and collecting artifacts. A digital LinkedIn-friendly certificate of completion is also provided. Bonus & Recognition includes a $500 bonus for the most creative/impactful VerityEd implementation and a digital certificate of “High-Achieving Media Literacy Educator.”

What You Do

Grant winners need to complete an educator verification, an onboarding session and teach at least two lessons focused on media literacy. You will need to submit a short feedback survey, an implementation summary, and at least three anonymized student work samples. You don’t need to be a media literacy expert to apply for our grant — VerityEd is here to support you with 1:1 and group coaching throughout.

Eligibility

You’re eligible if you are 18+ and an active educator in one of the following, including but not limited to: a public school, private school, charter school, home school, educational organization, or university. Note: Applicants are responsible for arranging school approval to teach this content and accept the grant.

The VerityEd Grant isn’t just for English, Library, or Journalism educators. If you can demonstrate a fit for building students’ skills in evaluating claims, you’re welcome to apply. Open worldwide, wherever there are no legal or banking impediments to receiving payments from a U.S. nonprofit.

Privacy

We never ask for sensitive information by email. Verification and submissions will be handled via a secure form. All student work must be anonymized.

FAQ

  • The Improve the News Foundation (ITN) is an apolitical American 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in October 2020 by MIT Professor Max Tegmark and Tufts Researcher Meia Chita-Tegmark. It publishes daily news stories on its flagship publication, Verity, and on its satirical news site, Orwell. VerityEd, operating since October 2025, is the educational branch of Verity, aimed at carrying on the mission of helping readers understand the news in a nuanced way by teaching it in classrooms, for free.

  • As Verity is operated by ITN, we rely on the generosity of its donors, primarily the Future of Life Institute. Thanks to this, we’re able to keep our publications and VerityEd completely free and ad-free.

  • This is a good fit for any educator who can find a use for media literacy in their classroom. Not sure? Feel free to reach out to emma@improvethenews.org with any questions or concerns.

  • The grant totals $1,000, with $500 being allocated to classroom supplies and $500 to reimburse your time and expertise. For the $500 allocated to classroom supplies, we request that you provide receipts through a secure form. Materials include printing, library/media resources, guest speakers, or conference attendance. We will never ask for banking information via email. The additional $500 is also intended for further pursuit of media literacy education in your classroom. 

  • Bonus implementations are:

    • Clearly engaging for students;

    • Have a strong learning outcome;

    • Original, creative, but still replicable;

    • Well-explained in the survey and student samples.

  • The bonus is a reward for the best implementation, and as such can be used at the winner’s discretion to improve media literacy education in their classrooms. 

  • Yes, Slack access is required. We will be using Slack for regular communication. Importantly, it offers a community of over 140 people, with whom you can talk about the news, education, and your implementation. 

  • You try VerityEd, or parts of it, in your real classroom and tell us how it went. Take at least two VerityEd lessons that fit your schedule, or adapt them, and teach them during a normal class period. This looks like:

    • Swapping the example article/video for something relevant to your unit;

    • Shortening or extending the lesson.

    In each session, students complete a short activity or output. This includes worksheets, discussions, a reflection, or projects. You can share feedback on what landed, what didn’t, and what you’d improve. Student work can look like:

    • Exit tickets or reflections;

    • Claim evaluations or source checks;

    • Short written responses;

    • Worksheets;

    • Group work notes.