Program areas at Big Shoulders Fund
Student Scholarship Programs: Administered over 82 distinct scholarship programs that include mentoring, enrichment and other support activities. 4,751 scholarships were awarded to 4,536 students at 147 elementary and high schools to enable them to attend non-public schools.
Academic Enrichment and Leadership Development: Big Shoulders administers over 25 ongoing programs in 92 schools involving over 600 teachers and administrators to improve instruction and learning through leadership and professional development, professional learning communities and access to high quality curricula with focus on math, science, civics, and literacy. Provide a variety of other needed capital and programmatic support to ensure a safe, effective learning environment for nearly 26,000 students through ongoing enrichment programs including a science and leadership camp, afterschool programs, summer programs, and other opportunities for students.
School operations: Distributed operating and capital grants to multiple schools in an effort to prevent school closures; also assisted schools in improving marketing/recruiting, building new external funding sources, improving school business operations, etc.