Florida · National Grant

Rural Tech Fund (Florida)

The Rural Tech Fund provides grants to rural U.S. schools to bring coding and computer science education to students in communities with limited access to technology instruction, including rural Florida schools.

Funding

$1,000–$10,000

Eligibility

Rural U.S. public schools

Grade Focus

K-12

Subject

Computer Science / Coding

Deadline

Annual (check ruraltechfund.org)

Type

National Grant

Ready to apply?View Official Grant Page →

About This Grant

The Rural Tech Fund was created specifically to address the CS education gap in rural America — communities where technology instruction is often nonexistent due to limited funding, teacher shortages, and geographic isolation. Florida has significant rural communities, from the Panhandle to the interior of the peninsula, where CS education access is far below the state average.

Rural Florida schools in counties like Glades, Hamilton, Liberty, and Jefferson face the same challenges as rural schools nationwide — no CS teacher, no hardware, no curriculum, and no budget to change that. The Rural Tech Fund provides a direct path to getting basic coding resources into these classrooms.

For rural Florida educators who have struggled to access the major STEM grant programs designed for large urban districts, the Rural Tech Fund offers a more accessible entry point. Applications are straightforward, amounts are modest but meaningful, and the program explicitly prioritizes the communities that are most underserved.

View Rural Tech Fund (Florida) →

Eligibility

U.S. public schools in rural communities as defined by USDA rural designations
Florida rural public schools in underserved counties with limited CS instruction
Schools must demonstrate lack of existing CS education resources
Preference for schools with high percentages of low-income students

Allowable Uses

Physical computing hardware (coding kits, micro:bits, robotics)
CS and AI literacy curriculum
Teacher professional development
CS curriculum subscriptions and online learning platform access

Forward Education Products for This Grant

Forward Education offers classroom-ready kits that align with Florida CS standards and fit cleanly into grant budgets. All kits include teacher guides and curriculum.

micro:bit Starter Kit — Entry-level physical computing, perfect for introducing coding and computational thinking.
MicroChat AI Literacy Kit — Hands-on AI literacy curriculum covering machine learning concepts for K-12 classrooms.
Coding for Good Kit — Project-based learning kit connecting coding skills to real-world community challenges.
micro:bit Robotics Kit — Advanced robotics and engineering challenges for deeper CS exploration.

Keep in Mind

If you're in a rural Florida county, explicitly document your community's rural designation and the absence of existing CS resources.
Rural Tech Fund applications are more accessible than major federal grants — even first-time grant writers can succeed.
Describe what happens after the grant: sustainable CS instruction without continued funding shows planning maturity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What qualifies as 'rural' for the Rural Tech Fund?

The fund generally follows USDA rural definitions. Florida counties in rural designations (most non-metro counties) qualify. Check your county's rural status before applying.

Is there a minimum school size?

No minimum. The Rural Tech Fund is designed to help small rural schools that are often too small for larger grant programs.

Can we use Rural Tech Fund grants alongside other grants?

Yes. Rural Tech Fund grants are typically small enough that they layer well with other funding sources for a comprehensive CS program.

Do rural Florida schools with some CS instruction qualify?

Grants prioritize schools with no or minimal CS instruction. Schools with active CS programs are less competitive.

How can Forward Education help?

We provide curriculum alignment documents mapped to Florida CS standards, pricing letters for grant budgets, and letters of support for qualifying applications. Reach out before you apply.