How Make Your Mark Works
Make Your Mark project grants of up to $1,000 give classrooms the tools, funding, and support to explore social issues, design hands-on solutions, and lead meaningful change in their communities.
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Here’s how the program works
1 | Sign Up
Register your class to participate in Make Your Mark before the registration deadline.
August 29, 20252 | Watch a Virtual Information Session
Learn about the program, hear from past-participating teachers on their experiences, and explore current areas of need in our community.
3 | Develop Your Project
Help your students develop, refine, and plan their Make Your Mark projects with United Way’s resources and support.
October – November 20254 | Apply for a Grant
Submit your project plan and budget to United Way by the deadline. Successful applicants will receive grants of up to $1,000 to launch their projects.
Application deadline: November 2025 (date TBC)5 | Launch Your Project
Use your grant funding to bring your students’ project to life! Measure the impact and reflect on how this project made a difference in our community. Some teams may be selected to share their project on the local news!
November 2025 – March 20266 | Celebrate!
Celebrate your students’ hard work with an event arranged by United Way! Plus, select projects will be honoured with an Award of Distinction at our Red Tie Gala on April 16, 2026.
Award nomination deadline: February 21, 2026Final report deadline: April 14, 2026
Student & teacher recognition: May 2026
“The number one leadership quality learned throughout this project is that of empathy. We had guests [from the community] who really opened their hearts and shared with the students their story, their struggles. This helped the students take down any barriers that existed and helped them develop a true understanding… The conversations were amazing, and the students really developed a greater understanding of how taking the time to better get to know someone can completely change their views. Beautiful!”
Teacher Participant
FAQs
Registrations are accepted from any Kindergarten to Grade 12 educator in a publicly funded school located in communities and First Nations within the Edmonton Census Metropolitan area including:
- Beaumont
- Edmonton
- Fort Saskatchewan
- Leduc
- Sherwood Park
- Spruce Grove
- St. Albert
- Leduc County
- Parkland County
- Strathcona County
- Sturgeon County
Whether you teach one student or 100, it’s your first time or your fifth, Make Your Mark is open to all!
Make Your Mark is designed to be flexible and adaptable. Most projects are developed and executed between October and March, with the heaviest planning phase from October to January.
You can fit your project into regular class time, during special events, or as an extracurricular activity — whatever works best for your students.
When you sign up, you’ll get access to:
- A virtual info session that further explains how the program works
- A comprehensive Make Your Mark curriculum accessible through Google Classroom including lesson prompts, activities, and student worksheets
- A Teacher Toolkit with sample projects and budgets, grant criteria, parent communication template, social media guide, important dates, helpful hints and more!
- Support from United Way’s team
- A dedicated United Way contact for troubleshooting and feedback
We’re with you every step of the way!
Nope! In fact, in many cases, it’s better if the idea comes from the students themselves as it gives them a greater sense of ownership and enthusiasm for the project and how it will impact people in the community.
If it’s student-led, community-minded, and connected to a social issue that affects local people, it qualifies.
Past projects have included:
- Initiatives focused on mental health, financial security, or educational barriers
- Donation drives for local people
- Events promoting equity and inclusion
- Fundraisers and awareness campaigns
Yes! Collaboration is encouraged. Whether it’s across classrooms, grades, or even schools, joint projects are welcome — and often lead to greater impact.
No. The program is completely free to educators and schools. In fact, we’ll give YOU money! Each approved project receives up to $1,000 in grant funding to bring their ideas to life.
Explore More
Sign Up for Make Your Mark
Are you a local educator? Let’s work together to give students the opportunity to lead, create, and connect through action.
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Make Your Mark in Action
Check out past student projects and the educators who helped guide them. Discover what’s possible when young people lead with purpose.
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Donate to Make Your Mark
Every donation to Make Your Mark helps more classrooms bring meaningful projects to life.
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Help Grow Make Your Mark
This program would not be possible without the ongoing support of corporate sponsors committed to making an impact in our community. Interested in supporting? Get in touch today!
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Questions?
If you'd like to learn more about the program, contact our Make Your Mark team.
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