Applications recently closed for CTA’s Spring 2026 Local President Release Time for Organizing Program. These grants allow presidents to engage all chapter members and organize and strengthen their locals.

The program is straighforward: All eligible chapters that are willing to do the site-based organizing work and submit an application on time receive the grant.

Goal of the grants: Through site-based organizing, chapters are able to

• increase union membership, expand site leadership and member participation, and run successful campaigns to win on issues that members, students and communities care deeply about;
• take effective collective action to solve site-based issues and win strong contracts;
• join with other CTA chapters across California to more effectively address key statewide issues like school funding and educator recruitment and retention.

New participants are required to attend a training.

About 220 local presidents are currently taking advantage of the grants. Douglas Knepp, president of West Sacramento Teachers Association, is in the middle of his second consecutive grant that allows 80% release time. He says the grants have been
invaluable as he works to strengthen WSTA.

“The ability to get all of my organizing structures in place and test them was impossible before,” he says. “With release time I can build structures and relationships that I can track and count — so WSTA can be at peak power.”

Specifically, the grants give him time for site visits and oneon- one conversations with members. “I’ve developed personal relationships that make a difference. We’ve been able to get to our goal of one site rep for every 10 members and to identify organic leaders.”

Structure-building has included setting up action teams where site reps and member leaders can reach out to other members and rapidly get their input. “We’ve had pickets, walkins, limited work-to-rule actions, etc., and before doing them we need to know how many members can show up. The action teams mean we get prompt information and can make quick decisions. Our actions now have 80% participation.”

Knepp says the grants are particularly helpful for smaller associations, such as WSTA with its 450 members. “For small locals like ours, it’s hard to raise funds for release time. So we really appreciate the CTA grants.”

Read more about the grants on the CTA Organizing Plan page, where you can also find information about Local Planning Grants and Local Site Visit Grants. For questions about all grants, reach out to your CTA Primary Contact Staff or email releasetimefororganizing@cta.org.