Support the ELLA Award

Help Us Celebrate and Elevate Language Educators

The Excellence in Less Commonly Taught Languages (ELLA) Award was created to recognize outstanding educators who dedicate their work to teaching and advancing Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs). These teachers play a vital role in strengthening multilingual education, fostering cultural understanding, and supporting diverse communities.

To sustain and grow this initiative, we welcome support from individuals, organizations, and community partners who believe in the importance of language education.

Your contribution will help us:

  • Host the ELLA Award ceremony and related events
  • Recognize and reward award recipients
  • Promote and expand the visibility of LCTL education
  • Reach and connect educators across the United States 
  • Build a national community of LCTL teachers and advocates 
  • Encourage nominations from diverse programs and regions

With your support, we can continue highlighting the important work of educators who are preserving languages, building bridges across cultures, and inspiring future generations of multilingual learners.

Thank you for helping us celebrate the educators who make language learning meaningful and impactful.

How You Can Support the ELLA Award

We believe that recognizing and supporting exceptional language educators is a shared effort between institutions, communities, and individuals. There are several ways you can help strengthen and grow the Excellence in Less Commonly Taught Languages (ELLA) Award initiative.

  • Donate

    Your contribution helps sustain and expand the ELLA Award program. Donations support:

    • The ELLA Award ceremony and recognition event
    • Award recognition and support for recipients
    • Outreach and promotion to increase the visibility of LCTL education
    • Efforts to expand the award nationally and attract nominees from across the United States
    • Building a stronger community of LCTL educators and advocates

    Every contribution helps us celebrate and honor the important work of language educators. Donations will be directed to the Diagora Program Fund, which is dedicated exclusively to supporting ELLA.

  • Sponsorship

    Organizations, foundations, and individuals are welcome to sponsor the ELLA Award or support recognition for educators in specific languages. Sponsors may choose to support an award recognizing an outstanding teacher of a particular language (for example, Arabic, Persian, Korean, Vietnamese, etc.).

  • Spread the Word

    Help us reach more educators by sharing information about the ELLA Award with colleagues, professional networks, and language education communities. Expanding awareness helps us build a truly national platform that recognizes excellence in Less Commonly Taught Languages.

  • Partner With Us

    We welcome partnerships with schools, universities, organizations, and community groups that share our commitment to multilingual education and cultural understanding.

If you are interested in supporting the ELLA Award or would like to learn more about partnership opportunities, please contact us.

Together, we can build a national initiative that recognizes outstanding educators and strengthens the future of Less Commonly Taught Languages.