Begin your journey to professional renewal and personal refreshment. Lace up your walking shoes, peer through a telescope, dip your paintbrush, listen to the music, or slow down to smell (and perhaps study) the roses. Our TIME Fellowship program offers Sarasota County Schools educators the time and opportunity to reconnect with their love of teaching.
Margie and Chuck Barancik loved and admired the children and teachers in our community. Thanks to Margie’s teaching career, they also understood the crucial role that a motivated and highly effective teacher plays in a child’s academic success.
To honor Margie’s legacy, we created Time to Inspire Margie’s Educators (TIME), a fellowship program for educators in the Sarasota County school district. This initiative annually awards 25 fellowships of up to $12,000 each for experiences designed to reinvigorate educators’ dedication to their students and commitment to the art of teaching. Since 2022, 125 teachers, instructional staff, and school leaders have received TIME Fellowships in Margie’s memory. (Go here to read project summaries for our 2026 TIME Fellows.)
Whether you are submitting a proposal individually or as part of a group, here are a few things to consider as you get started:
(click here for PDF version)
The 2027 TIME Fellowship program is open to currently employed, full-time instructional staff, assistant principals, and principals within Sarasota County Schools (SCS) pre-K to 12 traditional public schools who meet the following criteria:
Currently, charter, private, and virtual schools and classified staff are not eligible to apply.
No, the application requirements have not changed for the 2027 TIME Fellowship.
Yes, group projects may be submitted. Each applicant should submit an individual application, budget amount, and itinerary, but be sure to use the same proposal title so we can better track your projects.
Yes, couples in which both parties are qualified Sarasota County Schools educators are eligible to apply for the TIME Fellowship. However, each individual must submit a separate application, even if they plan to collaborate on a joint project. If both individuals are selected as fellows, each will receive their own fellowship award up to $12,000.
Yes, as long as the fellowship does not exceed the budget.
Yes, there is no limit to how frequently you may apply if you did not previously receive a fellowship. We welcome and encourage return applicants.
No, simply log into the application portal using your previous user ID, which should be your email. If you forgot your password, click “Forgot your Password?” This will prevent the creation of a duplicate profile.
No. Your recommendation(s) must be from a colleague who works within Sarasota County Schools.
Yes, selected participants will be issued a 1099 tax form for all funds they receive.
Typically, 1099s are mailed in January, in the calendar year following the year you received your payment. For example, if your fellowship payment is made in 2026, you will receive a 1099 in January 2027.
No. Once award decisions are made, all payments are final based on your requested budget.
If you are making inconsequential or immaterial changes, you do not need approval. If changes will significantly alter your proposed project or its timeline for completion, please let us know by emailing [email protected].
Email [email protected] and we will reset your eligibility quiz so you are able to retake it.
Although Barancik Foundation staff cannot help you directly with your application content, we have engaged a team of volunteer “TIME Ambassadors” who can share advice and offer encouragement. These past TIME Fellowship recipients can help you with ideas or proofreading your application, for example. Please email [email protected] and we will do our best to connect you with someone to provide feedback on your proposal.
