The Boone County Education Foundation presented classroom grants to 29 teachers and administrators totaling a little over $38,000 at the Boone County Board of Education meeting.

The foundation’s representative said the nonprofit’s sole mission is to raise and disperse funds that “infuse dollars into Boone County Schools classrooms so that teachers and administrators can provide innovative learning opportunities that wouldn't otherwise be possible.”

Why it matters: The grants are intended to cover classroom initiatives that fall outside regular budget lines and reduce the need for teachers to pay out of pocket for materials and programming.

The foundation representative detailed examples of funded projects, including hydroponic gardens, beehives, ukuleles, robotics, microscopes and mental-health programming. He said the foundation’s grant process opens at the start of the school year, uses a judging rubric, and aims to return “about 99.9% of our funds back into the classroom.”

A list read by the presenter named 29 recipients and their proposed projects; the foundation said the awards would be presented in two photo groups because of the number of recipients.

The board thanked the foundation for supporting classroom innovation and noted the presentation as part of the meeting’s “good news” segment.

Ending: The foundation's grants will be distributed to teachers and administrators as listed by the foundation; the representative said grant descriptions and recipient names are recorded in the foundation's announcement and the district's meeting materials.