Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants And Philanthropy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Putnam Education Foundation awards $73,050 for STEM, digital access and career pathways
Summary
The Putnam County Education Foundation announced $73,050 in grants at the school board meeting, funding STEM supplies, digital tablets for K–8 students, and a rural career pathways effort; a local donor pledged major support and the foundation said it is pursuing additional appropriations.
The Putnam County Education Foundation on Monday told the school board it would distribute $73,050 in grants to support local STEM programs, digital access for students and a rural career pathways effort.
Les Sims, chairman of the Education Foundation, said the awards include a $4,500 disbursement for a rural career pathways grant that is the first installment of a multiyear award, a $9,450 Clay Electric Operation Roundup grant for STEM materials, and an AT&T-funded program to provide Lenovo tablets to about 150 K–8 students.
"We seek out, obtain, and distribute funds that the district can't," Les Sims said. "We're here today to distribute $73,000 in several different grants." He identified Renee Huff and Laura France as project leads for the career-pathways and STEM grants, respectively.
The foundation also announced a major private gift. Sims said Dr. Tom Hunter committed $51,000 at the foundation's recent gala; the foundation planned to allocate about $48,000 of that to STEM programs and to provide $1,000 to each principal at Palatka High School, Crescent City High School and Interlachen High School for discretionary, STEM-related uses.
Board members and foundation representatives said the foundation is continuing fundraising: Sims said he and Laura France had met in Tallahassee with legislators seeking additional state appropriations and that the foundation is requesting $337,000 to support the district's aviation program.
The foundation presentation was followed by photos and brief board remarks praising the organization’s work.
The board did not take formal action on the grants during the presentation; Sims asked the board and community to thank donors and to support upcoming fundraising efforts.
The foundation listed contact leads for each grant so school staff can follow up about implementation and classroom distribution of materials and devices.
