In 1986 Clover business and civic leaders formed a private non-profit foundation to aid public education in the Clover School District. As stated in the announcement of the founding: “The Foundation, known as the Clover Leaders for Educational Advancement Foundation, or Clover LEAF, will exist for the sole purpose of providing recognition for teachers in the form of small grants which will reward creativity and innovation in the classroom and self-improvement in teaching skills.”  It was conceived with “… the shared belief that good schools produce good citizens, that effective teachers deserve community-wide recognition for their efforts, that good schools lead to growth in the community, that recognizing excellence in teaching is a partnership effort involving the entire community, and that educational commitment is a major priority in Clover.”

Today, Clover LEAF continues as an educational non-profit foundation supporting the Clover School District’s (CSD) innovative and imaginative educational programs through the Foundation’s grant program. The Foundation’s mission revolves around these grants, which empower educators to bring creativity and innovation into the classroom through new teaching methodologies, acquisition of cutting-edge resources, and development of inventive curricula that engage and inspire students in ways previously unattainable. These grants enrich the educational experience for students in the CSD by fostering an environment where learning becomes an exciting, dynamic, and transformative journey, preparing students to thrive in an ever-evolving world. Projects are one year in duration, but the goal is for projects to develop the momentum to sustain themselves.