The Detroit Public Schools Foundation encourages students to excel throughout the year with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities inside and outside of the classroom. Support our programs. GIVE NOW!
Purchase an authentic commemorative brick from Cass Technical High School, Finney High School or Chadsey High School for yourself or friends and family.
It’s not often enough that reading the news can put a smile on your face. But, when I saw the results of a new study, it was easy for me to smile.
ArtServe Michigan recently released a study that detailed the return on investment for arts and culture in the state. The report shows that for every dollar the state invests in arts and culture, 51 dollars are contributed to the state’s economy. The facts show what we have long believed – an investment in the arts provides more than just cultural value, which alone is important in its own right.
Experts, including those at ArtServe, have long believed that arts education increases children’s motivation to learn, making them more likely to attend school, and deepens their ability to pay attention. The College Board reports that, over a ten-year period, arts students outperformed non-arts students on the SAT.
The Foundation’s support of successful arts education programs in Detroit touch every age level of students. The PNC Grow Up Great pre-kindergarten program partners with Music Hall to bring artists into classrooms and preschool students into the theater. We have funded and sustained the Evening of Fine Arts to honor the top high school students in vocal, instrumental, dance, fine and visual arts. Plus, the Foundation is funding the Detroit All-City Marching Band and has funded the upgrade of musical equipment at several schools.
We hope others will join us in placing a priority on arts education so our future adults will be well equipped to lead and give back to the community. As a board member of the DIA, DSO, Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan and Arts League of Michigan I am hopeful that we are creating an environment which nurtures future leaders for these and other cultural organizations throughout our region and State. We know this investment has even more than just cultural value, there’s also economic value.
You can find details on the ArtServe study here creativestatemi.artservemichigan.org/impact/education/
Based on my experience, one of the most rewarding aspects of a career in philanthropy is seeing a legacy live through gifts that reflect an individual’s life. I want to share a new example of that with you.
One of the individuals who was instrumental to the founding of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation is now being memorialized by a gift to our Foundation. Dr. Kenneth Stephen Burnley, a DPS graduate, was Superintendent of Schools when the Foundation was formed. He shared the vision for a public-private partnership to form a separate foundation to benefit the children of Detroit.
Last summer, five years after leaving his position of CEO of DPS, Dr. Burnley passed away. At the time, he was superintendent of a school district in Alaska, following his passion of leading change inside school systems in need of new ideas and approaches. Following his death, his wife, Eileen Burnley, has established scholarship funds to benefit students in each of the school districts where Dr. Burnley served as superintendent.
The Dr. Kenneth Stephen Burnley Memorial Fund to benefit DPS students is now established at our Foundation. Mrs. Burnley provided the initial funding of $5000, designed to help DPS students reach educational goals. Funds can be applied toward costs such as textbooks, lab fees, uniforms or anything else directly associated with studies.
Dr. Burnley’s commitment to Detroit students will now carry on for a new generation. We are very pleased that our Foundation could help Mrs. Burnley accomplish her philanthropic goal.
At the start of the New Year, our region puts its focus on the event that allows Detroit to shine in the world’s spotlight – the North American International Auto Show. This year, for the first time, our Foundation is providing one-of-a-kind access to the show for both the oldest and the youngest students that we support.
For the first time, the Auto Show’s Education Day – January 18th – will include Pre-Kindergarten classes. Students from the 14 classrooms at eight schools who are a part of the Foundation’s Grow Up Great Program, along with their parents and teachers, will learn about shapes, colors and basic science and auto education during a tour of the Auto Show floor at Cobo Center. The cars won’t be the only stars as Cookie Monster will also make an appearance.
The Grow Up Great program is made possible by the generous support of PNC Bank.
And for the second year in a row, the Foundation is pleased to send students from the Davis Aerospace High School for Education Day. This year, the Foundation is providing students with transportation and tickets to the Auto Show. These are the Detroit students who attend a school designed to prepare them for aerospace, aviation and engineering careers, with classes that include Computer Assisted Design (CAD) and robotics. Remarkably, every Davis High School students earns a pilot license upon graduation.
We share the hope of our donors that these students will be inspired by their visit to “The Show.” This could be the beginning of innovative careers, made possible by this special access. This is another example of the Foundation’s commitment to the future of our community through “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education.
As we wrap up a successful calendar year, I want to let you know about two new examples of philanthropy, from opposite ends of the business spectrum, I think should inspire others with a commitment to education.
One example is a local company named METCO, an engineering services firm located in Downtown Detroit. This year, rather than host a holiday party, the company has generously decided to support education in Detroit with a $5000 gift to the Detroit Public Schools Foundation. METCO’s donation will support our efforts to fund “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs that benefit many Detroit students. METCO’s gift is an example of how a Detroit-based business can make a significant impact on its community through philanthropy.
I’m also pleased to let you know that the world’s largest private employer, Walmart, has also chosen to continue to support our Foundation. Furthering the commitment to Durfee Elementary-Middle School, where a local Walmart store hosted a reading program and distributed free books to the students, Walmart staff received a Volunteerism Always Pays award from the Walmart Foundation to donate $1,000 to support the school’s library. Sam’s Club (owned by Walmart) then made an additional contribution of $10,000 through the Walmart Foundation to support Durfee.
Walmart has since provided a generous $50,000 donation to support DPS students through the Foundation.
If you received our annual appeal in recent weeks, and it’s sitting in your “pile” to review before year-end, please consider taking a look. It could help you make your decision on how you can follow the lead of METCO and Walmart and contribute to the future of our community in whatever way makes sense for you. The appeal is also available here.
Happy Holidays from all of us at the Detroit Public Schools Foundation. I look forward to keeping you updated on our progress in 2012.
In the nonprofit sector, the word we hear the most often these days is “collaboration.” That’s for good reason. In challenging economic times, it makes sense for organizations with aligned missions to work together in any way possible. Funders and recipients alike are now charged with creating efficiencies to make the best possible use of donors’ gifts.
In the field of educational foundations, we are using collaboration as a way of identifying best practices from across Michigan and across the country. We know, from the National School Foundation Association, that education is the second most supported segment of philanthropy in the country, behind only religion. So, it is imperative for our Foundation to provide ways that meet donor interest and needs at the schools we are committed to enriching. By participating in that Association, we can stay on top of which approaches are working best elsewhere in the country.
We are also actively involved in the Michigan School Foundation Network. This group is working collaboratively through the Web, conferences and member services to help fellow members lower costs, increase impact and build organizational capacity. Urban, suburban and rural school districts in Michigan face many of the same new realities, so educational foundations are working together to share effective ways to support successful programs for the benefit of Michigan’s future.
We are committed to the highest level of stewardship when we are entrusted with your donations. We believe that collaboration allows us to do better work than we ever could on our own.
As we get closer to the end of the calendar year, it’s time for many of us to reflect on why we do what we do. In this case, I’d like to take the opportunity to answer a question I get from time to time – why do we need educational foundations like the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, separate from the school districts themselves?
Around the country, educational foundations date back to the 1980s. But, even entering 2012, we are still closer to the front end of this trend. While Detroit’s public school funding challenges receive the bulk of the attention in Michigan (and even more than its share of coverage nationally), what we see here is consistent with many national trends. In more communities every year, it becomes apparent that school funding has changed considerably.
Once upon a time, property tax revenues adequately funded most schools. But, now, unless new solutions like foundations emerge, economic factors are putting quality education at risk in many communities. Housing values have plummeted from coast to coast, reducing revenue to schools. Also, with an aging population in Michigan and elsewhere, national studies and election results show that voters are less likely than ever before to approve millage increases to support education.
Educational foundations are helping to add value and preserve successful programs by investing in the future of communities. We are proud to do that in Detroit.
I’m very excited to let you know about a positive step in the evolution of our Foundation. Recently, our Board of Directors decided to expand the mission of our Foundation to include support of current Detroit Public Schools schools, existing and future DPS-chartered schools, and DPS schools that will be operated by the State of Michigan’s Educational Achievement Authority (EAA).
This expansion is consistent with our Foundation’s core values and areas of support. Even though the DPS of 2012 will look different than the DPS we have come to know over the years, student needs will remain. We’ll now be able to continue to support programs like Science Fairs, Future City and the All-City High School Band, to name a few, as well as future programs that have yet to be identified.
Importantly, regardless of whether a school is within DPS, is chartered by DPS, or is placed with the EAA, that school will have the Foundation’s support as DPS works to continue to provide quality educational experiences for Detroit students. We will remain flexible in the future, as the DPS continues to change to meet the needs of the City’s students. We believe this is good news and hope that you do also.
If you have any questions about this, please send me an email: cjohnson@detroitpsfoundation.org.
I’m happy to explain anything you would like to know in more detail.
Since our Foundation focuses on schools and kids, it’s always special when we can play a role in connection with Detroit Icons that share the same values. One example is what’s happening this Fall with The Parade Company, producer of America’s Thanksgiving Parade – a Detroit tradition like no other.
With the support of PNC Bank, teachers from the Grow Up Great program are receiving added value from the support the Foundation helps provide for their early childhood program in 14 Detroit classrooms in eight schools. This fall 30 plus pre-K teachers from these eight schools received up-close training and an educator guide teaching the science of parade float building that they can bring into their classrooms. Also as part of this program, students in those classrooms have been able to tour the Parade Company studios, where float preparation is well underway, and their handprints will go on a float that will travel down Woodward on Thanksgiving Day. That new float will be unveiled on November 4th.
This year, in the 85th Parade, you will have a chance to see the marks of the Foundation in action. Thanks to PNC Bank and The Parade Company, pre-school children in Detroit are getting one-of-a-kind experiences.
I also want to let you know about another way our donors are helping students. It started when the Frederick Douglass High School football team received national attention after its gear was stolen in September before a game. We have received several contributions from donors who want to help the Hurricanes. Once again, this is proof of the far and wide support that exists for Detroit students. We appreciate all who care about this commitment.
One of the most fulfilling parts of my job has been reconnecting Detroit Public Schools alumni by introducing them to the Foundation. No matter where they live or how long ago they graduated, these alumni feel a strong bond to their school experience and to Detroit itself.
We have heard from alumni who have long wanted to give back, get involved and help the current generation of students. But, until they found the Foundation or we connected with them, they didn’t know how. The DPS Foundation helps alumni (and others) support successful programs inside Detroit schools.
If you’re a DPS graduate, or know someone who is, we’d really appreciate the chance to help with the reconnection. You can sign up for our e-newsletter to learn more about how alumni support is making a difference. We also would like to hear more about you – where you are, the impact that your education has had on your life, even your favorite stories about school.
Please just send me an email at cjohnson@detroitpsfoundation.org. Anything you can do to help us understand the alumni experience and connection to our work in Detroit would be greatly appreciated and helpful. I look forward to hearing from you.
As the Detroit Public Schools Foundation begins its second academic year of positively impacting the lives of Detroit’s children, I’m often asked about the greatest needs in the schools. From our vantage point, there are three primary needs where we see opportunity to support successful programs.
The first is Early Childhood Education. All of the research points in one direction – the earlier children begin learning, the better students they will become. So, the Foundation has invested, for this year, in 14 pre-kindergarten classrooms at Detroit elementary schools, up from 12 last year. Thanks to the support of PNC Bank, the Grow Up Great program provides resources to enable preschool teachers to focus on Science and Arts education.
We also see a growing need in the Fine and Performing Arts. This year, we have funded Detroit’s legendary All-City High School Band, which has not been together in more than a decade. They are now practicing and we expect to be able to announce performances in the coming months.
We continue to see a need in “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and look forward to sharing more details on how we are funding STEM-related competitions for Detroit students.
While we can’t fill every need, we are committed to providing successful programs that benefit the school children of Detroit, and ultimately, the future of the city and the region.
