The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has announced grants totaling more than $4 million in support education communities and to combat teacher burnout.

Grants will support a range of professional learning, mentoring, and wellness practices designed to support teacher retention, including $1 million to FuelEd, which provides programming focused on educator self-awareness, personal transformation, and the science of attachment; and $1 million to The Teaching Well, which provides wellness coaching, professional development, and spaces for collaboration for educators to increase teacher retention and resilience.

According to CZI, educators of color, who are already underrepresented in schools, may suffer burnout at greater rates than other educators. Additional awards to address this issue include $500,000 to the Black Male Educators Alliance of Michigan in support of efforts to engage and retain early career and veteran Black male educators; $1 million to Profound Gentlemen to provide coaching and professional development for current and aspiring male educators of color across the United States; and $500,000 to Profound Ladies in support of recruiting and retaining Black and Indigenous women of color. 

“As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, we know we cannot attend to student learning and well-being without first supporting our teachers,” said Sandra Liu Huang, head of education at CZI. “Teachers need high-quality professional development and communities that support and reinforce the fact that connection and academic success go hand in hand.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Drazen Zigic)