Central Coast educators teaching the next generation of community leaders have an ally behind them each year: SESLOC Credit Union. Every month, SESLOC awards education grants in amounts up to $500 to help support classroom curriculum that goes beyond the traditional school budget. Each grant goes directly to teachers to support projects that uniquely benefit their classrooms.
2025 was one of the biggest years in the educational grant program’s history. SESLOC awarded $26,996.70 during the 2025 calendar year to teachers in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara County. This brings the grand total amount to over $232,000 since the program’s inception in 2013.
Some of the noteworthy grant recipients throughout 2025 include:
- Oakley Elementary – Purchasing pickle ball paddles and ball carries for the school’s PE classes.
- Dana Elementary – Purchasing level readers designed to support students’ learning needs. A combination of fiction and non-fiction books were purchased for grades 2-6.
- Grover Beach Elementary – Printing their school newspaper in full color, ensuring every student received a copy of their peer-produced journalism to read.
- Judkins Middle School – Purchasing essential classroom supplies for the mental health services program that supports students with emotional, social, and behavioral challenges. Supplies include art materials, sensory toys and self-regulation items.
- Paloma Creek High School – Purchasing a Makita drill for students to work on construction projects and career technical education.
- Hawthorne Elementary – Purchasing hands-on STEM learning supplies, including aquarium and tadpole kits, build-a-robot kits and plant maze growing kits.
- Ocean View Elementary – Purchasing a subscription to Scholastic News, providing weekly content to her classroom covering current and historical events, social emotional topics, and scientific discoveries.
- Orcutt Academy – Purchasing ironing boards, irons, sewing notions, fabric and batting for the home economics program to teach students about hand quilting.
- Mission Prep High School – Purchasing supplies including gardening tools, vegetable seeds, water jugs and fertilizer for an FFA Garden.
- Santa Lucia School – Purchasing supplies including yarn, knitting needles and paint for students to make hats and scarves for ECHO Homeless Shelter. Students also used the materials to create a mural promoting positive messaging.
“The SESLOC Education grant reached new highs in 2025, and we were excited to fund a wide variety of programs,” says Vincent Delgado, Education Outreach Manager. “Every dollar reinvested into our classrooms help expand the learning experience for students across the Central Coast, giving them access to educational tools they would not reach but for these grants.”
Do you know a classroom that could use an extra boost to their curriculum in 2026? SESLOC members can help us support teachers by sharing the grant application with their teachers and schools. And if you are a teacher with a brilliant idea to expand your lesson plans, apply today. We can’t wait to see your plans for 2026.