The Eleanor Venture Travel Grant honors the foundation’s founder and longtime president Eleanor Flanders. This grant provides a teacher with an educational travel experience. Such an experience is expected to enhance the teacher’s classroom skills, expand curriculum options and ultimately benefit future students.

This annual grant provides the perfect tribute to Eleanor Flanders. Beginning in early WWII, Eleanor began putting away a little money here … and a little money there for her investments. She called the fund “The Eleanor Venture.” As time passed Eleanor used this money to travel … from her state college in Kansas to places all over the world. With each trip she felt renewed and energized, and her world view expanded. When asked how she might be honored upon her retirement, Eleanor looked back over her years and decided that the directors could best honor her by investing in a teacher – giving that teacher the funds for a once in a lifetime travel experience.

While such an experience can be given to only a few teachers over time, it is intended to honor all teachers and to tell them how important they are. It is expected that the trip would not only renew, energize and educate the teacher involved but that the teacher’s experience would be brought home to their classroom and to fellow teachers and students.  It would provide broad-based benefits for a long time to come.

Purpose:

To fund a once in a lifetime educational travel experience that will enhance the teacher’s classroom skills and/or curriculum and benefit the teacher’s students, school and district.

Eligibility:

All PK-12 licensed educators employed in the St. Vrain Valley School District for the current school year.

Expectations:

• Awardee must be willing to make presentations about their travel experience as requested.
• Awardee must be willing to write a report and provide photos or videos of his/her travel experience for the Education Foundation website by the end of August following the trip.
• Awardee must be willing to participate in the selection committee for new candidates for 5 years following his/her award.

Grant Amount:

Up to $5,000

Application Criteria:

This grant is for a once in a lifetime educational travel experience.  Please consider the criteria below when writing your proposal.

• Commitment – The St. Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation is making an investment in the awardee.  The awardee should consider how he/she will pay it forward.
• Impact – This educational travel experience should impact the students, school, district and community. It should enhance your classroom skills, expand curriculum, and inspire future generations.
• Adventure – Eleanor Flanders believed that travel not only energizes and educates but also broadens perspectives.

Application Guidelines & Restrictions:

• Travel must be completed over the summer from June 2026 to July 2026.
• Awardee must be a licensed teacher in good standing.
• Research travel accommodations, hotel reservations and registration fees that are refundable and/or transferable in the event the trip needs to be rescheduled.
• Provide at least 1 current letter of recommendation from your school administration supporting your application.

Application Timeline:

• Application Opens – January 14, 2026
• Application Deadline – February 18, 2026 at 11:45 pm

Application Q&A Meeting:

The Education Foundation will host an application Q&A meeting Thursday, January 29, 2026 from 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm. Applicants are encouraged to attend if they have any questions about the application process, want to discuss possible travel experiences or have any other questions about the grant. If you are interested in attending please CLICK HERE to register.

Selection Process:

All grant applications are reviewed by the Education Foundation’s selection committee made up of former Eleanor Venture Travel Grant recipients.  If selected, the finalists will be invited for an in-person interview and asked to make a short presentation about his/her proposed educational travel experience.  The selection committee will then ask the finalist any questions that they have about the application and presentation.

Interviews:

Finalists will be interviewed on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm.  The finalists will be contacted with an interview time if selected.

Grant Award:

The awardee will be notified the week of March 9th..

Need More Information?

If you have questions or need assistance, contact Tammy Palombo, Program Manager at tammy@stvrainfoundation.org or 720.652.8208.

---

Past Eleanor Venture Recipients

Each spring, the Education Foundation proudly awards the Eleanor Venture Travel Grant to one deserving St. Vrain Valley School District teacher, providing a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience that ultimately enriches students’ learning in the classroom.

Beginning in 2004, district teachers have used the travel grants to travel to many exciting destinations.

Award Year	Grant Recipient(s)	Destination
2025	Lindsey Jones	Senegal – Dakar, Toubab Thies, Dialaw, & Somone
2024	Brian Crim	Mexico City
2024	Andrea Helmus and Jennifer Lammey	Spain
2023	Charlie Plehaty	Harare, Zimbabwe
2023	Paige Taylor	Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
2022	Benjamin Prylinski	Alaska – Denali and Kenai Fjords National Parks
2019	Shannon Brennan and Shelia Freehill	Costa Rica
2018	Colin Rickman	Cape Town, South Africa
2017	Janet Benter	Rwanda
2016	Kaarina Demers	Cuba
2015	Karie Cooper and Hillari Hansen	Kitengela, Kenya
2014	David Merrill	Japan
2013	Brigitte Toucheque	Ecuador
2012	Stephanie Busby	France
2011	Scott Brungardt	Central America
2010	Kristie Boman	Morocco
2009	Jason Gage	Australia
2008	Kenneth Benson	Northeastern United States
2007	Christina Smedley	Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands
2006	Susan Hartman & Jennifer Shopland	Peru
2005	Bridget Shaughnessy	Mexico
2005	Ruth Schrichte	Costa Rica
2004	Wendy Durst	Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia