Current Partnerships
Davie County Schools – (2017-2022) $2.5 million to support DavieLEADS (Literacy Empowers All in Davie to Succeed), a five-year early literacy initiative to improve kindergarten readiness and to increase the percentage of students reading proficiently by the end of third grade.
Bookmarks – (2018-2020) $225,000 challenge grant to support “Book Build: Fostering Connections by Building Collections,” a three-year, $450,000 initiative focused on infusing the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School libraries with current, culturally-relevant books. In 2018, the Foundation contributed $50,000 plus an additional $50,000 following a dollar for dollar match by Bookmarks. A $75,000 dollar for dollar match is available in 2019; $50,000 in 2020.
Luwonna Oakes/Hill Center Tutoring Model Pilot Program — (2019) Up to $50,000 to partner with Luwonna Oakes to provide Hill Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP) tutoring to students not receiving the intervention during school at an affordable rate.
Davie County Schools – (2019) $99,000 partnership to help fund the Read to Achieve summer camp, an intensive four-week program for third-graders who have not met state requirements in reading to advance to the fourth grade. Since 2014, the Foundation has invested more than $425,000 to help fund the camp.
Brookstone Schools – (2019) $30,000 grant for the “Straight to the Top” summer learning & enrichment camp. The Foundation has invested more than $288,000 with Brookstone Schools since 2011.
Yadkin County Schools –(2019) $57,000 to support reading proficiency. $50,000 will be used to train 10 reading interventionists in the Hill Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP) and to purchase 60 iPads. HillRAP is a research-based multisensory structured language approach to teaching reading developed by the Hill Center of Durham. The other $7,000 will purchase Letterland, a phonics-based approach to teaching reading, writing and spelling to students in Pre-K to 2nd grade, for the 12 Pre-K classrooms.
Yadkin County Schools — (2017-2019) $70,000 to provide training in the Hill Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP) to all 18 of the county’s K-6 EC teachers. The grants also cover the cost of 90 iPads and additional training to certify two HillRAP mentors in the second year to build sustainability within the district. HillRAP is a research-based multisensory structured language approach to teaching reading developed by the Hill Center of Durham.
Previous Partnerships
ApSeed Early Childhood Education— (2018) $105,000 to purchase and distribute 1,000 custom-built e-readers (Seedlings) preloaded with applications designed to improve literacy and strengthen vocabulary to children 0-4 whose families are enrolled in the WIC program through the Davie County Department of Public Health or Parents as Teachers through Smart Start of Davie County. The tablets are also distributed through Davie County pre-schools.
Book Harvest — (2018) $100,000 to support the Book Babies program, which partners with parents from the time of their child’s birth to equip them with the tools they need to be prepared for kindergarten and beyond. Book Babies provides literacy coaching home visits and 20 new, age-appropriate books to participating children and parents every year from birth to kindergarten. Book Babies home visitors partner with parents of more than 350 children ages 0 to 5 in Durham County and Forsyth County, North Carolina.
Wingate University — (2018) $50,000 challenge grant to support the United Summer Reading Academy conducted by the Thayer School of Education to train college student-teachers and to provide a summer reading camp to help students from Union County Public Schools , Wingate Elementary School, and Longleaf Academy to retain their reading levels and increase literacy skills.
Hill Center and Mooresville Graded School District – (2015-2018) $1.9 million to test and enhance the Hill Learning System (HLS) iPad app, a digital version of the Hill Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP).
4.0 Schools – (2017-2018) $200,000 to support Essentials Fellowships, Tiny Fellowships, and to offer start-up funds for promising innovative education-related ventures. Headquartered in New Orleans, 4.0 Schools is a non-profit incubator that finds, trains, and invests in passionate people solving the most important challenges in education.
Oakwood School – (2017) $25,000 to partner with Horizons National, an award-winning, tuition-free, summer academic program serving low-income, public school students on the campuses of independent schools, colleges, and universities across the country. The Horizons partnership with The Oakwood School in Greenville, North Carolina will be the first of its kind in the state. This is the second grant of $25,000 to Oakwood School.
Triad Academy/Summit School – (2017) $50,000 to partially fund a private-public school partnership between Triad Academy at Summit School with teachers and students from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Camp Pathfinder is a 5-week summer literacy intervention and professional development camp for 10 public school teachers and 50 students. The Foundation has invested more than $200,000 since 2014.
Moore County Schools – (2012 – 2015) $2,000,000 + three-year commitment and partnership to launch an innovative professional development model for K-12 teachers known as “STEM Infusion”
Asheville City Schools – (2011) $100,000 challenge grant for the Digitally Literate Asheville Initiative. Funds used towards the purchase of laptops for Asheville City Schools 1:1 initiative
Kenan Fellows Program – (2011) $20,000 for partnerships with local businesses to train classroom teachers on relevant subject matter from industry and how to incorporate the information in classrooms.
Iredell/Statesville Schools – (2010) $150,000 five-year commitment as part of a match needed by ISS to receive $5,000,000 from the U.S. Department of Education as part of its I3 Challenge.
Wilkes County Schools – (2009 – 2011) Additional $100,000 challenge grant, in addition to a three-year $300,000 challenge grant which paid out in 2011 and was used to purchase technology in the school system.
Davie County Schools/Cooleemee Elementary School – (2009-2011) $140,000 three-year commitment to fund a computer-based reading intervention program featuring Waterford and Successmaker software as well as a summer reading program.
Davie County Schools – (2008 – 2011) $750,000 three-year commitment for the Mebane Masters Program, an innovative professional development model for K-12 teachers and a prelude to the STEM Infusion Model of professional development.
East Bend Library – (2008) $150,000 challenge grant for the completion of a new library in East Bend, North Carolina. Funds were used for construction costs and the purchase of technology
Davie County Schools – (2004) $25,000 towards continuation of teacher training for its ongoing RAP reading intervention program.
Hill Center – (2004 – 2011) $2,000,000 from 2004-2011 for a partnership and the development of HELP, RAP I & RAP II; reading intervention outreach models that can be used from Pre-K thru 8th Grade in the public school system. The majority of these funds were committed in Davie County Schools.
Davie County Schools – (2004 – 2007) $750,000 three-year commitment for the Mebane Masters Program, an innovative professional development model for K-12 teachers and a prelude to the STEM Infusion Model of professional development.