Timothy Joseph Nee Relief Fund Application for Funding

A New Approach to Natural Disaster Relief for Schools and Colleagues

AMI/USA has offered relief support after previous national disasters. We continue to be committed to reaching out and collaborating with AMI affiliates in the United States as well as kindred organizations that share the purpose of service to children. This is especially true in times when our AMI/USA Member Schools, and our colleagues that are affiliated with them, are facing personal and professional life-rebuilding efforts.

In January of 2025, AMI/USA formally established a disaster relief fund and policy that allowed us to readily respond to the recent California wildfire victims and potential sufferers of future disasters. We are approaching this endeavor with the same fervor and dedication as our former colleague, the late Tim Nee. Tim was a tireless Montessori educator and administrator, a dedicated AMI/USA Board Member, a champion of children’s rights, and strongly held the belief that difficult obstacles can be overcome to provide students and families with a safe and high-quality education.

Therefore, we are proud to introduce the duly named Timothy Joseph Nee Relief Fund.

Financial contributions from benefactors and fund-raising campaigns will enable us to fulfill our vision of offering direct support to AMI/USA Member Schools and eligible colleagues closely affiliated with the schools.

Scroll down to submit the 2025-26 Tim Nee Relief Fund application for funding!

Table of Contents

Program Criteria

The amount of financial support to the recipient will be based the degree to which applicants are affected by a natural disaster, receipt of a fully completed application that specifically outlines need, how funds will be used for personal or professional rebuilding, and financial strength of the fund at the time of request.

Eligible Project Expenses

  • Montessori Materials
  • Classroom Supplies
  • Classroom Technology
  • Rebuilding School/Classroom Library
  • Support to meet basic needs such as housing, food, and clothing

Ineligible Project Expenses

  • Insurance Fees
  • Fellowships and/or Scholarships
  • Project Income Exceeding Project Expense
  • Subsidizes Entertainment Costs (e.g. theater parties, gallery/museum openings, receptions)
  • Supports Fundraising Activities
  • Professional Development Fees

Applicant Requirements

Applicant must be an administrator or teacher at a current AMI/USA Member School.

Montessori colleagues requesting support must be closely affiliated with the member school as a permanent employee. AMI/USA is a country affiliate of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) that focuses on supporting the needs of schools and members in the United States. AMI/USA staff and board members, and their relatives, are ineligible to apply for this grant.

Additional Documentation

To be submitted with application:

  • Administrative appeal on behalf of the member school or eligible colleague
  • Project description including budget realistically reflecting the costs of rebuilding
  • Materials budget and/or classroom supply budget

Grant Timeline

  • Application Opens: February 14, 2025
  • Application Closes: December 31, 2025
  • Applicants notified within 6 weeks of application
  • 100% of funding received upon execution of agreement
  • Final Reports Due: Friday, June 26, 2026

The extent of AMI/USA support to applicants will be dependent on the available funds. Initial financial support will be offered to the victims of the 2024 California wildfires. Funding for this support is made possible by the generous support of AMI/USA members, colleagues,  and friends.

AMI/USA membership ($99/year) is open to all, even those who are not AMI trained, and can be purchased along with the grant application, if desired.

Click here for more information about the benefits of AMI/USA Membership!

Award Information

Grant Amounts, Cost Share, and Matching Funds

In developing an application, we urge all applicants to request a realistic grant amount.

Applicants whose grants are recommended for less than the amount requested will have the opportunity to revise the project budget to reflect any necessary changes to the project, based on the recommended funding amount. We reserve the right to limit support of a project to a particular portion or cost.

Period of Performance

Support of a project can start no sooner than the “Earliest Start Date for Proposed Project”. Grants awarded under these guidelines generally may cover a period of performance of up to one year. The one-year period is intended to allow an applicant time to plan, execute, and close out its project.

Any planning costs that are included as part of the project must be incurred during the established period of performance. No pre-award costs are allowable in the Project Budget.

Project costs that are incurred before the “Earliest Start Date for Proposed Project” will be removed from the Project Budget.

A grantee may not receive more than one grant for the same activities during the same period of performance.

Award Administration

We expect to announce grant decisions within six weeks from the date of your application. Note that the announcement is likely to take the form of a preliminary congratulatory message, request for project or budget revisions, or rejection notification.

The official grant award notification, a notice of action authorized by the AMI/USA Finance Department Management is the only legal and valid confirmation of award. Receipt of your official award notification can take several weeks depending on a number of factors such as reviewing changes to the project budget, the number of awards to be processed, and other AMI/USA business.

Changes in Projects

Applicants must notify AMI/USA immediately of any significant changes in their project that occur after they have submitted their application. If the project or teacher capacity changes significantly before an award is made, the fund may revise or withdraw the funding recommendation.

Grantees are expected to carry out a project that is consistent with the proposal that was approved for funding by AMI/USA. If changes in the project are required, the grantee must submit a request with justification for the changes to be reviewed by the AMI/USA office. Approval of changes is not guaranteed.

Project Reporting and Evaluation

We ask all applicants to define what they would like to achieve, how they will evaluate the degree to which it is achieved, and upon completion of the project what they have learned from their experiences. Such feedback need not entail large-scale or expensive evaluation efforts. You should do what is feasible and appropriate for your project. When a grant is completed, you must submit a final report detailing your accomplishments, who benefited and the resulting impact of your project as well as list the involvement of key partners and funders.

Beyond the reporting requirements for all grantees, select grantees will be asked to assist in the collection of additional information that can help AMI/USA determine the degree to which objectives were achieved. It may be requested that you provide evidence of project accomplishments including, but not limited to, work samples, community action plans, cultural asset studies, programs, reviews, relevant news clippings, and playbills.

Code of Ethics

AMI and AMI/USA are organizations whose regulation of conduct is limited to pedagogical matters. All those connected with AMI and AMI/USA are expected to conduct themselves lawfully and in a manner that both exemplify and supports the propagation and furtherance of the ideas and principles of Dr. Maria Montessori for the full development of the human being.

Application Process

  • Complete the application form below.
  • Attache the administrative appeal on behalf of the member school or eligible colleague.
  • Include project description with:
    • Date and location of project
    • Program goals/outcomes
    • Materials budget and/or classroom supply budget

Following review of the completed application, AMI/USA will finalize the status of each request and complete the process with the issuance of the grant funds. Contact AMI/USA if you have any questions.

We sincerely appreciate your interest in the Timothy Joseph Nee Relief Fund!