For nearly twenty years, the Endowment has financed a wide range of programs and projects in Northampton Public Schools including: the development of the wildly popular Homesteading course at NHS; exploring the effects of climate change in partnership with the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary; hands-on robotics; city-wide elementary school gardens for outdoor classrooms; the Breakfast After the Bell program; and collaborations with the Hitchcock Center, Grow Food Northampton, Self-Evident Media, and All Out Adventures.
The Endowment funds multiple innovative projects aimed at having a lasting impact on our schools.
Please reach out to us if you have questions about our new Endowment Fund distribution process.
A proposed project should bring something new and different to current practice or curricula in Northampton’s schools. (Applicants may be asked to demonstrate that an approach or technique is supported by research.)
We prefer programs affecting large numbers of students, such as system-wide, school-wide, multi-grade programs, or those involving multiple schools.
We favor programs that create lasting benefits to students, curriculum and programming that enrich, enhance and support the goals and priorities of the Northampton School Department and the School Councils.
By providing outstanding education to children of all backgrounds and income levels, Northampton public schools prepare students to become informed citizens who go on to top colleges, fulfilling careers, and rewarding lives. Excellent public schools strengthen neighborhoods, raise property values, and foster civic pride.
Both in Northampton and nationally, public schools face mounting challenges. The actual cost of educating Northampton students greatly exceeds the funding provided by taxes, and schools are forced to work within shrinking budgets.
With a strong NEF Endowment, teachers have the resources to promise a first-class educational experience, regardless of the economic or political climate. Public education in Northampton thrives, and our students are prepared for the world ahead.
Building on a model used by colleges and private schools, and increasingly by public school districts, the NEF Endowment represents fiscal responsibility and a strong commitment to the future. Money given to the Endowment is not spent, but rather carefully invested through the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Interest from these investments is used to give multi-year grants to the schools, and to sustain successful, proven projects. A portion of the interest is re-invested, so each donation – and the Endowment – continues to grow.
Gifts from local parents, alumni, community members, and businesses become an educational legacy. What a powerful combination of private resources for one of our city’s most important public resources.
In its first decade, with great community support, NEF grew its Endowment to more than $1 million, and has given more than $500,000 in Endowment grants to date. From school gardens to 3D printers, from ancient Greek history to high school robotics, the NEF Endowment has funded innovative projects that strengthen a Northampton public school education.
You may be able to make a significant gift today (and we would be delighted and appreciative). You may feel strongly about supporting the NEF Endowment, but need to fit it carefully into your budget. There are so many ways to give, including:
We would be pleased to discuss different giving options with you. Please contact mwohl@comcast.net for more information.
The Northampton Education Foundation and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts are both tax-exempt 501(c)3 organizations. Your gift to the NEF Endowment Fund is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
The Endowment Distribution Committee will review proposals and make recommendations to the NEF Board on what proposals should be funding from the NEF Endowment Fund and for how much . This committee consists of a parent representative from each school, one or two students from Northampton High School, Northampton public school alumni, community members (i.e., Northampton residents who are not parents, teachers, or students), and members of the NEF Board. The NEF Board will take the committee’s recommendation and make the final decisions regarding funding of all projects.
Grantees are expected to provide an annual report to the Distribution Committee describing their accomplishments and their progress towards fulfilling the goals of the proposal. For multi-year projects, the annual report will also include plans to further meet the goals and any modifications of the project.