GULFPORT, Miss. (January 5, 2023) — As teachers and students return for the 2023 school term after busy year-end schedules and holiday breaks, Hancock Whitney and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) have extended the deadline for teachers to apply for the 2023 Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants to January 31, 2023. The previous deadline was January 13.

 

Funded by Hancock Whitney and administered by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) for 29 years, the Seal grants annually 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.

 

To apply for 2023 Seal grants, teachers should submit full project proposals by the January 31, 2023, deadline using GCCF’s online application portal at https://www.mgccf.org/grants. Applications should detail how proposed projects can enrich students’ educational experiences while supporting state curriculum.

 

GCCF coordinates selection of grant recipients by an independent committee of business, community, and educational representatives not affiliated with Hancock Whitney. Hancock Whitney and GCCF will present 2023 Seal grant funds and recognize winners during an awards luncheon in late spring 2023.

 

More about the Seal Grants

 

Hancock Whitney established the Seal grant 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.