The Greer Award recognizes an individual or organization for outstanding service to Ontario education. A cash grant is presented to a charitable organization or cause designated by the recipient. The annual recipient is named by the four OTF Affiliates on a rotation basis.

Established in 1947, the Greer Award is a memorial to the late Dr. V. K. Greer, a distinguished Ontario educator. Dr. Greer began his professional career as a teacher in a rural school near Hamilton and later, after obtaining his Master’s Degree in mathematics, he taught at St Thomas Collegiate Institute. From this point, Dr. Greer’s work was in the field of elementary education. He became successively inspector of public schools in the county of Dundas and Master at Stratford Normal School and finally Chief Inspector of Public and Separate Schools for Ontario in 1925. In 1944, he was promoted to the office of Superintendent of Elementary Education for Ontario.

Some of the past recipients have been Lisa Weintraub and Kathryn Penwill, the Co-Directors of the Centre ontarien de prevention des aggressions (COPA); Ted Schmidt, a teacher, for his contributions to the Teachers for Social Justice; and Rosario Marchese, Ontario MPP and NDP Education Critic.