Golden Apple Accelerators of Illinois Program

The Golden Apple Accelerators of Illinois Program aims to encourage academically-talented students, especially minority students, to pursue teaching careers in teacher-shortage disciplines and hard-to-staff schools. The program provides crucial mentoring, guidance, and in-service support to increase the likelihood of students completing their full teaching commitments and continuing to teach in targeted disciplines and hard-to-staff schools. • The program is funded by a direct appropriation from the FY27 Illinois State Appropriations Act. • A portion of the funding is allocated for direct-to-student scholarships. • The Golden Apple Foundation is designated as the recipient of this funding in the Appropriations Act. • The program requires monthly expenditure reports, quarterly reports using the PPR and PFR templates in AmpliFund, close-out financial reports, and annual financial reports.