Champions For Learning, Collier County’s education foundation, has been ranked 21st in the nation’s only annual study of K-12 education foundations, “Stepping Up: The Top K-12 Education Foundations in the Nation”.
“We are extremely proud to be considered as one of the top 25 education foundations in the country,” says William R. Barker, Board Chair of Champions For Learning. “This recognition motivates us to advance our work and make it possible for the community to change lives every day.”
For more than 25 years, Champions For Learning has been able to support their mission through its student and educator programs and its dedicated volunteer base.
“Thanks to the community, we have been able to accomplish such great results, which are recognized through this study,” says Susan McManus, President of Champions For Learning. “Thanks to our supporters, board leadership, and staff team we are able to make significant strides in student learning.”
Stepping Up: The Top K-12 Education Foundations in the Nation study includes education foundations in the top 200 largest school districts in the nation (by student population), as well as other top-performing foundations in smaller school districts. Stepping Up looks at eight key performance categories to determine the ranking: annual revenues, revenues per student, total assets, assets per student, investment income, total program expenses, expenses per student, and human capital (volunteers).
The purpose of the study is to advocate the importance of K-12 education foundations while recognizing those that do it best. “Education foundations are innovating and enhancing public education,” said Dewey Caruthers, president of Dewey & Associates and study author. “More people should know what their local education foundation is doing to dramatically improve the student learning experience.”
The foundations included in the study raised $350 million in revenues, held $425 million in assets, spent $181 million on programs and grants, and utilized 67,000 volunteers, the study noted. “I believe the K-12 education foundation industry is the fastest-growing philanthropic segment in the U.S.,” said Nina Menis, executive director at National Schools Foundation Association (NSFA). The NSFA is the nation’s largest and oldest association for K-12 education foundations.