As a Licking County educator, where might you like to travel to broaden your experience and knowledge in your field?  Antarctica remains the only continent that has not seen a Tibbie Traveler – could you be the first? 

Since the first award was made in 1999, the Tibbie Leslie Fund has provided more than $250,000 in travel grants to support more than 125 excursions that helped local educators bring their learning experiences from around the world back to their Licking County classrooms. Support for these travel experiences for area educators was established by Elizabeth Randolph Leslie, known as “Tibbie,” a Newark, Ohio native and 1950 Newark High School graduate. After graduating from Miami University in 1954, Ms. Leslie taught physical education for 30 years. Every summer, she returned to Newark to visit her family, then travelled with a group of other educators on trips around the globe, including Europe, South America, China, and Africa. Her learning experiences on these trips were so wonderful that she decided to help other educators travel. Ms. Leslie died in 1995. She established the Tibbie Leslie Fund of the Licking County Foundation through her will.

This fund supports Licking County educators who plan international travel to broaden their experience and knowledge in their field. Applicants must include how they will incorporate their travel experiences into their classroom curricula. 

The application for the 2027 Tibbie Leslie Travel Grant for Educators Application will be open from January 30 through 5:00 PM on November 2, 2026.  Applicants will be notified at the end of January 2027. Click here to begin.