Brimmer Awarded EE Ford Grant

 

Mr. John Gulla, Executive Director of Edward E. Ford, informed Judy Guild that at its meeting on November 18, 2015, the Advisory Board of the Foundation responded favorably to Brimmer and May’s proposal. The grant is for $50,000 and requires a $1 to $1 match from the community that will result in $100,000 in support of innovative educational programming for our Upper School.  

 

John Gulla visited our campus on Friday, September 18, 2015, from the foundation headquarters in Brooklyn, NY. The EE Ford Foundation supports Independent Secondary Schools in the United States by awarding $50,000 grants with a required 1:1 match to Schools for innovative programming. This organization is known for rewarding private schools that are on the leading edge of teaching and learning. This process has taken approximately six months of work starting with a pitch letter, phone interviews, in person interviews, a complex proposal requirement, and finally a visit to campus.  

 

The Brimmer faculty and community was well positioned with a proof of concept for innovation already in place. Mr Gulla's visit to campus left a strong impression on him, which he relayed to the Board Members who made the final decision. When Mr. Gulla visited campus, he attended morning meeting, had a tour with Admissions and a member of our Tour Guide program, attended a variety of classes, met with a group of faculty, and finally met with a group of Upper School students representing all four grades and a variety of academic interests. The awarding of this grant was truly a full school effort. Only a small number of the Schools that go through this lengthy process are selected each year.

 

The $50,000 Edward E. Ford grant will provide three to five years of support for the Upper School. The $50,000 match secured over 12 months will add to the Faculty Innovation Endowment for the same purpose. This will allow the funds to grow over time and ensure that the program becomes self-funding.

 

Upper School faculty will be able to apply for these grants to fund innovative educational ideas along with the classroom materials needed. One or two of these grants will be awarded each year (5 in total over three to five years), enabling Upper School faculty to explore new ideas, new curriculum, and advances in education along with compensating those faculty for their time to implement new programming.