BCPEF tells board it has raised $11.5 million over 21 years and funded teacher grants and fellowships

Laurie McNulty, vice president of the Bradley County Public Education Foundation (BCPEF), gave a midyear report to the Cleveland City Schools Board of Education on community fundraising, teacher grants and the organization’s fellows program.

McNulty told the board BCPEF is entering its 21st year and has raised $11,500,000 in private funds that have been invested in the local school systems. She said the foundation supports classroom programs, teacher development and strategic initiatives aligned with district priorities.

McNulty and other foundation presenters described this fiscal year’s commitments: BCPEF directed roughly $80,000 toward teacher grants and funded a slate of lead fellows who work with district teachers and administrators. The foundation reported awarding 19 grants to 16 schools this cycle, across subjects from STEM to world history and music, and noted multi‑year projects that pair professional development with classroom implementation.

McNulty highlighted the fellows program as a sustained investment: the foundation had 14 fellows in 2022–23, 12 in 2023–24 and 12 fellows again this year who participate in training, community partnerships and school‑level projects. The foundation also sponsors programs that place student work on rotating billboards, funds curricular pilots and helps underwrite partnerships such as clinic access and career pathways, presenters said.

Why it matters: BCPEF’s private fundraising supplements district resources, the presenters said, underwriting classroom innovation and professional development that they described as producing measurable student growth. The foundation invited board members to Vision 120, its donor event on April 25, and said it will continue to align grants with the district’s strategic priorities.

No formal board action was requested.