Future Proud Michigan Educator: Military Veterans Grant

The Future Proud Michigan Educator: Military Veterans Grant enables Michigan school districts to establish a paid mentorship and salary program for military veterans seeking educator certification. The program is designed to expand and diversify the educator workforce, address educator shortages, and transition military veterans into K-12 teaching careers.

Local education agencies (LEAs), including traditional public school districts and public school academies (PSAs), are eligible to apply on behalf of veteran candidates; veterans may not apply directly. Eligible participants must be veterans as defined under MCL 35.61, possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited public or private university, and be actively enrolled in student teaching at a Michigan-approved educator preparation provider.

Funded projects require participating veterans to complete one semester of student teaching (12 to 15 weeks for traditional routes, or 16 to 18 weeks for alternative route candidates in their final phase) while shadowing an assigned mentor teacher in their certification area or grade level. Grant funds provide student teacher salary support at the district's starting teacher rate, potential salary add-ons upon hire to bridge previous military pay, test fee coverage, mentor stipends, and mentorship program staffing. Participating districts must commit to phasing out grant funding so that 100% of candidate salaries are covered by local funds by September 30, 2027.

When the application window is active, districts apply online by logging into MiLogin for Third Party Users, requesting access to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Grant Electronic Monitoring System/Michigan Administrative Review System (GEMS/MARS), and completing the 'Future Proud Michigan Educator Veterans Grant Application' questionnaire with an approved budget.