2025 Leo Seal Innovative Teacher Grant Applications Available Online

Cash awards laud teaching excellence, support creative learning projects

Applications for 2025 Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants are now available online at https://www.mgccf.org/grants. The application deadline is September 30, 2024.

Funded by Hancock Whitney and administered by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF), the Seal grants recognize up to 10 outstanding teachers with individual one-time grants of up to $2,000 to activate creative teaching proposals enhancing students' learning experiences and supporting Mississippi educational requirements.

Certified K-12 teachers at public and private schools in the eight Mississippi counties with Hancock Whitney locations - Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Madison, and Pearl River - are eligible to apply.

Hancock Whitney and GCCF will recognize 2025 grant recipients and present grants at an awards luncheon during the first quarter of 2025.

How to Apply

To apply for 2025 Seal grants, teachers submit full project proposals by the September 30, 2024, deadline, detailing how their projects can enhance students' educational experiences while supporting state curriculum. This year's application timeline facilitates awarding funds to activate winning projects for the spring academic schedule.

"The Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants support teaching activities that enrich students' overall learning activities with practical, hands-on experiences making their studies even more relevant to real life," said GCCF President and Executive Director Christen H. Duhé. "We encourage all eligible outstanding educators to apply for the Seal grants as a way to provide enhanced educational opportunities for their students and to celebrate their commitment to teaching excellence."

GCCF coordinates selection of grant recipients by an independent committee of business, community, and educational representatives not affiliated with Hancock Whitney.

More about the Seal Grants

Hancock Whitney established the Seal grants program in 1994 as a permanent endowment of the GCCF Pat Santucci Friends of Public Education program. First presented in 1996, the awards pay tribute to the community commitment and leadership of Leo W. Seal, Sr., the bank's president from 1932 until his death in 1963, and his son, the late Leo W. Seal, Jr., the bank's chief executive for 45 years. Throughout their lives, both men championed countless economic and educational opportunities across the Gulf Coast.

About Hancock Whitney

Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, and Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and asset management services; healthcare banking; and mortgage services. The company also operates combined loan and deposit production offices in the greater metropolitan areas of Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. More information is available at www.hancockwhitney.com.

About the Gulf Coast Community Foundation

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation is a non-profit public charity serving the people of South Mississippi since 1989. The Foundation's primary mission is to increase philanthropy by assisting donors in establishing endowments and legacy giving plans, making grants to worthy causes, and providing leadership in response to the community's changing needs.

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