FAYETTEVILLE -- The Fayetteville Public Education Foundation is on a mission to raise $3 million in hopes of making a greater impact on the city's public schools.

The Reaching New Heights campaign wants to increase the foundation's endowment to support larger grants for teachers, said Cambre Horne-Brooks, executive director. Such a campaign is a first for the foundation in its 27-year history, she said.

Requests vs. Grants

Teacher grant requests to the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation have exceeded the amount allotted for the past several years.

201820172016*2015

Requested$528,816$586,09$436,030$520,741

Granted$150,702$141,869$131,675$122,840

Source: Fayetteville Public Education Foundation

Greg and Hannah Lee are leading the campaign, which took shape early this year. The couple donated $100,000 to the campaign, according to a foundation news release.

"There have been some innovative programs funded by the foundation that otherwise would not have been made available to Fayetteville students," said Greg Lee. "We appreciate the opportunity to support education and kids."

The Lees are Fayetteville High School alumni, their two children are alumni and they have four grandchildren coming up through the school system.

Jack and Anne Butt are honorary chairs of the campaign. Jack Butt founded the foundation.

The campaign is in its "silent phase," as officials connect with individuals who have supported the foundation in the past, Lee said.

Horne-Brooks refused to say how much has been raised so far, but said she'd give an update when the foundation has a public event this fall to promote the campaign. She expects the campaign to take 18 months to two years.

The endowment has about $4 million. Its principal isn't spent.

The foundation awards grants twice a year for projects and activities that "go beyond the normal classroom experience," according to its guidelines. Teachers, staff members, parent groups, businesses and other nonprofit agencies may apply for grants. A committee from the foundation's board of directors reviews and awards grants based on its policies and procedures.

The teachers' needs are outpacing resources, Horne-Brooks said.

Teachers submitted more than $500,000 in requests in the last cycle, but the foundation was able to cover only $150,000 from its income, she said. The group provided $19,000 in scholarships, despite $243,000 in requests, according to a foundation report.

A $250,000 gift in 2016 from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation created the Neal R. Pendergraft grant, which allows teachers to apply for grants of up to $25,000. Standard grant requests may not exceed $10,000.

Last school year, the foundation awarded three Pendergraft grants worth a total of $31,675, including $9,000 to help send students on an overnight trip to the Ozark Natural Science Center near Huntsville.

Introduction of the Pendergraft grants demonstrated teachers had ideas for projects and programs that were larger and more systemic than could be funded with standard grants, Horne-Brooks said.

Money raised through Reaching New Heights will allow the foundation to award grants of between $25,000 and $200,000 for big projects, she said. Areas the foundation hopes to impact include early childhood education, after school and vocational programs and programs that help students get into college and pay for college.

John L Colbert, the School District's superintendent, said in statement the district is blessed to have an organization in the city like the foundation.

"They have been a wonderful partner for Fayetteville Public Schools since 1992, and this new campaign will enable them to provide even more funds for innovative and creative projects in our schools. With their strong support, our district's vision of being 'the trusted leader in Arkansas public education where every student achieves his or her full potential' is even more attainable," Colbert wrote.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization separate from the district.

Lee acknowledged there are numerous worthy charitable causes across Northwest Arkansas, and people have to choose which ones to support. The foundation has a solid history of meaningful contributions to the district on which to base its campaign, he said.

"We think it has great merit and are hopeful the community will support it," Lee said.

Among foundations that support Northwest Arkansas' other large school districts, Springdale is the only one that operates an endowment.

The Springdale Public Schools Education Foundation has an endowment of about $1.6 million that provides college scholarships, and it paid out $86,500 this past year, said director Chris Stecklein.

The foundation last year launched another endowment to support teacher grants. That endowment is named after Walter Turnbow, a former School Board member and community leader who died Monday.

"It's in its infancy," Stecklein said. "It's really small. It's going to grow over time, unless we get a windfall gift."

NW News on 09/14/2019

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Fayetteville Public Education Foundation aims to raise $3 million - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette