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Bright Minds Foundation reports fundraising gains, warns early‑literacy program funding at risk
Summary
The Bright Minds Foundation told the board it distributed more than 5,000 Chromebooks, supported early‑literacy efforts that provided 26,000 books to preschoolers and awarded roughly $30,000 in teacher grants, but said funding limits may force scaling back the Imagination Library program.
Representatives of the Bright Minds Foundation, the education foundation aligned with Howard County Public School System, presented their annual activities report on July 17 and said donations and event revenue produced the foundation’s largest fundraising year to date while raising concern about sustaining a large early‑literacy program.
Christy Lassen, chair of the Bright Minds board, and Anne Santos, vice chair, reviewed the foundation’s work in four areas: resources to remove barriers to learning, early‑childhood literacy and kindergarten readiness (including the Dolly Parton Imagination Library), teacher and classroom grants, and college‑access scholarships.
The foundation said it helped distribute more than 5,000 Chromebooks to income‑eligible students, ran programs that supported credit recovery for roughly 150 students, and through the Imagination Library provided more than 26,000 books to about 2,500 preschoolers. The presentation noted district tracking showed participating children demonstrated stronger early‑literacy skills, but Bright Minds said it had not secured the funding to sustain the Imagination Library at current levels and may need to downsize or target the program to higher‑risk children.
Bright Minds also awarded nearly $30,000 for 27 teacher grants to reach more than 5,000 students, supported mental‑health focused grants and ran programs connecting teachers to externships with local employers. The foundation reported awarding 33 college scholarships worth more than $65,000 this year and administering 16 scholarship funds.
Board members asked the foundation to meet with board members in small groups to brainstorm fundraising and partnership ideas. Bright Minds said it welcomes board and community engagement and invited board members to connect their civic groups with foundation outreach.
What happens next: Bright Minds plans to continue grant cycles and events (including its annual golf classic and Bright Futures reception) while seeking new donors and partnerships to sustain the Imagination Library and other high‑impact programs.
