TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– Addition Financial Credit Union and the Addition Financial Foundation are celebrating nine outstanding educators across North Florida and South Georgia as the recipients of the Addition in Action Teacher Grant Program, awarding a total of $13,500 to support innovative classroom projects and learning experiences.
The nine educators, representing schools in five districts in the Tallahassee and Thomasville regions, will each receive $1,500 to support creative classroom projects that encourage hands-on learning, build practical skills, and create new educational opportunities for students.
Representatives from Addition Financial visited schools in early November surprise the winning teachers with their awards and recognize their commitment to making a difference in their classrooms.
Launched at the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year, the expanded Addition in Action program provides funding for educators to address classroom needs and develop projects that help students build skills for future financial success and real-world decision-making.
“Supporting educators is part of Addition Financial’s DNA. Our credit union was founded by teachers nearly 90 years ago, and we’re proud to continue honoring those roots by investing in the educators who make such an important difference in our communities,” said Cristina Lehman, Executive Director of the Addition Financial Foundation. “We were incredibly impressed by the creativity and thoughtfulness of the applications we received. These teachers developed some truly inspiring ideas to make lessons come alive, create unique learning experiences and help students develop skills that will benefit them well beyond the classroom. We’re excited to help turn those ideas into reality.”
Among the winning projects is an interactive art vending machine at Canopy Oaks Elementary School in Tallahassee, where teacher Heather Bivins plans to help approximately 600 elementary students explore the connections between creativity, entrepreneurship and financial decision-making. The “Creative Cardinals Art Vending Machine” will provide students with opportunities to showcase their original artwork while learning about the real-world value of their ideas.
At Bainbridge High School in Georgia, teacher Jacob Floyd will use his grant to expand Buddy & Bella’s, a student-operated school business that provides hands-on experience in product development, pricing, inventory management and sales. Fellow Bainbridge High School educator Victoria Hill Harrell will establish the Bearcat Poultry program, giving animal science students practical experience raising and caring for poultry while learning about agricultural operations and business decision-making.
Other projects include a digital microbiology laboratory at Thomas County Middle School, hands-on probability and statistics activities at Lawton Chiles High School, and interactive phonics resources to strengthen early literacy skills at Sneads Elementary School.
Fall 2026 Addition in Action Teacher Grant Recipients
The following nine educators have been selected to receive $1,500 grants:
Leon County Schools
- Heather Bivins – Canopy Oaks Elementary School
- Jennifer Dickerson – Lawton Chiles High School
Jackson County Schools
- Chasity Smith – Sneads Elementary School
Decatur County Schools
- Jacob Floyd – Bainbridge High School
- Victoria Hill Harrell – Bainbridge High School
Gadsden County
- Demetria Hardy – Havana Elementary School
- Danielle Edenfield – Robert F. Munroe Day School
Thomas County Schools
- Kaleigh Glass – Thomas County Middle School
- Kathie Craven – Thomas County Middle School
Educators applying for Addition in Action grants were asked to identify specific classroom needs and demonstrate how their proposed projects would create meaningful learning opportunities while helping students develop skills that contribute to future financial success.
The program builds on Addition Financial’s longstanding commitment to education. Founded in 1937 by a group of 23 educators as Orange County Teachers’ Federal Credit Union, Addition Financial continues to support schools and students through financial education initiatives, student-run high school branches, scholarships, classroom resources and community partnerships.
