The John and Mary Neff Foundation has provided funding to support projects designed to encourage middle school students to study and persist in their interest in mathematics. The Foundation is particularly interested in projects that directly support students from underserved communities, rural communities, and/or indigenous communities.

Each year, we invite proposals from higher education institutions, school districts, or nonprofit organizations establishing projects that actively engage elementary, middle, or high school students beyond the standard curriculum.

Guidelines for Project Design

All projects should:

• Provide enrichment and extension activities for students which lead to heightened interest in and appreciation of mathematics.
• Encourage students to continue studies of mathematics in high school and college and should better prepare them for those studies.
• Be fun and designed to provide active enrichment activities, beyond classroom coursework.

Projects may be conducted during summer, during the school year, on weekends, or after school. Projects should be conducted over a sufficient period of time to engage student participants in learning and applying new and interesting mathematics that they will not otherwise encounter in their classes.

Funding Details

• Each project grant is capped at $10,000.
• Applications will be accepted from college and university mathematical sciences faculty at accredited U.S. (including U.S. Territory), school districts, and nonprofit organizations.
• For those applicants from higher education institutions, they are encouraged to demonstrate a partnership with a secondary or middle school mathematics teachers/faculty that are appropriate for the project. Either the middle or high school teachers or the college or university faculty may initiate the project and teachers are encouraged to develop ideas and to contact colleagues at a nearby two- or four-year college or university to work collaboratively. 
• In-kind institutional support is expected as an indication of commitment to the project. 
• No indirect costs or fringe benefits are supported.

Restrictions

• A project may only be funded three times by the MAA Neff Outreach Fund. Grant recipients must reapply each year, should they wish to continue their projects.
• Funding for the Neff Outreach Fund is limited, and the MAA will make every attempt to support a broad range of projects from various geographic locations. If any department is interested in submitting more than one proposal, the proposals must support different programs and must have different personnel.
• A proposal submitted to multiple programs (Tensor Women, Tensor SUMMA, DMEG, and/or Neff Outreach Fund) in the same year will only be considered for one. The Program Directors will decide which program it is best suited for, and reject it from the other programs. We encourage applicants to carefully consider which program is best suited for their project before applying.

Timeline

The MAA Neff Outreach Fund program is an yearly award cycle and follows the approximate timeline below.

• November 2024: Application portal opens.
• February 2025: Applications are due.
• April 2025: Notification of award.
• May 2025-May 2026: Projects may be conducted during summer, during the school year, on weekends, or after school during this timeframe.

Project activities should conclude by May 31, 2026 if awarded in 2025. A final report narrative on activities and a final financial report must be submitted by June 30, 2026.

If you are a current Neff Outreach Fund grantee seeking a renewal, you may apply in the 2025 cycle by submitting a new application and include a summary of progress to date. Unexpended funds from a previous grant may be carried forward but require significant justification before approval.

Contact Us

Questions? Email programs@maa.org.