California Credit Union Foundation Provides $5,000 in Teacher Grants To Benefit Educators & Students

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Jul 14, 2025, 11:23 ET

GLENDALE, Calif., July 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Creating a forensic science project, supporting 4^th grade student entrepreneurs in creating and marketing products, and expanding a horticulture club with California native plants are just some of the school projects receiving funding from California Credit Union Foundation through its Spring 2025 Teacher Grant program.

(L/R) Los Padrinos Academy Teacher Grant Recipient Tam Nguyen, Masters in Social Work Interns Jennifer Tokaji and Yvette Hernandez-Diaz, and Marvel Ford, President, California Credit Union Foundation, during a check presentation for the 2025 California Credit Union Foundation Teacher Grant given to Nguyen. The grant will be used to fund Social/Emotional Learning workshops for students at the juvenile court school.

As part of its commitment to help educators create innovative learning opportunities for their students, the Foundation provided 10 grants to underwrite class projects in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange and Ventura counties. The credit union grants will fund a diverse range of programs illustrating the commitment teachers bring to their classrooms and communities.

"We're proud to support the creativity and dedication of local educators through these grant awards," said California Credit Union Foundation President Marvel Ford. "Teachers are at the heart of student success, and these innovative projects represent the kind of hands-on, inspiring learning experiences that make a meaningful difference. We're honored to play a small role in helping bring these ideas to life in classrooms across our communities."

The Spring 2025 California Credit Union Foundation Teacher Grant recipients include:

Grant Recipient	School	City
Michael Connors Long	William Howard Taft Charter High School	Woodland Hills
Doelyn Estrella	Arleta High School	Arleta
Tia Ignoffo	Trabuco Hills High School	Mission Viejo
Patricia Jolliff	Richardson PREP HI Middle School	San Bernardino
Brian McLaughlin	Conejo Academy	Thousand Oaks
Tam Nguyen	Los Padrinos Academy	Downey
Kamalinphol Punpanichgul	La Mesa Junior High School	Santa Clarita
Edna Rodgers	Azusa High School	Azusa
Mandana Saidi	Mission Continuation High School	San Fernando
Lourdes Valle	Sunland Elementary School	Sunland

Since the creation of the program in 2012, California Credit Union and its Foundation have awarded $215,000 in teacher grants to support innovative learning projects. Up to 20 grants are awarded bi-annually in the spring and fall. Any full-time classroom teacher in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura County can apply for a grant for a program that has clearly defined learning objectives tied to students' academic needs, displays creativity in education, and targets a significant number of students.

About California Credit Union Foundation
California Credit Union Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that serves as the philanthropic arm of California Credit Union. Named a Forbes Best-In-State Credit Union in 2024 & 2025, California Credit Union is a state chartered full-service credit union with assets of $5 billion, approximately 200,000 members and 25 retail branches. The Foundation works to strengthen the financial well-being of our communities by providing targeted resources to non-profit partners effecting meaningful change across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties. California Credit Union funds all administrative costs of the Foundation, enabling it to return 100% of donations back into community programs. Please visit ccu.com/foundation to learn more or make a tax-deductible donation, or follow the Foundation on Instagram® @ccufoundation.

SOURCE California Credit Union