By Kallie Sulanke—
Muncie, IN— The Community Foundation launched the K-12 School Technology Resilience Initiative in June of 2020 to support longer-term and equitable solutions for technology resilience. To date, $59,000 has been awarded to the eight K-12 public schools in Delaware County.
“We believe that every student should have the right tools to access education wherever they need to learn,” said Kelly K. Shrock, president of The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County. “Through this initiative, we seek to help local schools get the tools they need to reach students where they are.”
The initiative kicked off in June with the support of the Funders Forum Collaborative, a group of funders across Delaware County convened by The Community Foundation. Each of the eight Delaware County K-12 public schools received $2,000 to support investigation and planning related to longer-term and equitable solutions for technology resilience. The funding provided an incentive to schools as they worked through the planning process for the 2020-2021 school year and beyond related to distance learning challenges and opportunities.
Applications for a second round of funding related to technology resilience were due to the Foundation in July. Each school system was invited to submit their unique plan to address the needs of their students and teachers to access and utilize technology to enhance education. Requests included equipment, connectivity, software, and people resources. Based on the requests received, schools were awarded the following grants during this second round of funding in August.
Burris Laboratory School received $5,000 to support hotspots and subscriptions for student connectivity.
Cowan Community Schools received $5,000 to support hardware to implement a 1:1 initiative.
Daleville Community Schools received $5,000 to support the cost of a camera, filming, and other equipment to provide communication to families.
Delaware Community Schools received $5,000 to support hotspots for student connectivity and software for virtual curriculum.
Liberty-Perry Community Schools received $8,000 to support software subscriptions and modems for improved on-site connectivity.
Muncie Community Schools received $5,000 to support hotspots for student connectivity.
Wes-Del Community Schools received $5,000 to support credit recovery virtual seats for students.
Yorktown Community Schools received $5,000 to support virtual curriculum for K-5 students.
To continue to support the efforts of K-12 schools as they develop longer-term and equitable solutions for technology resilience, the K-12 School Technology Resilience Initiative has announced a third round of funding to be distributed in late 2020. The eight public K-12 schools have been asked to provide updated information regarding their original request. The Community Foundation is working closely with other local funders through the Funders Forum Collaborative and with donors to secure additional funding to support this initiative.
Community members are invited to support this initiative online during Giving Tuesday or by contacting The Community Foundation at 765-747-7181 or commfound@cfmdin.org
About The Community Foundation
The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. encourages philanthropy, assists donors in building an enduring source of charitable assets, and exercises leadership in directing resources to enhance the quality of life for residents of Muncie and Delaware County. Since 1985, community members and businesses have helped the Foundation grow our endowment to $62 million. Using the earnings on the endowment, the Foundation distributes grants to nonprofit organizations, including scholarships to support students through post-secondary education. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $54 million to enhance the quality of life of the residents of Muncie and Delaware County.
About Funders Forum
As early as 1997, the Funders Forum convened as a way for local funders to discuss community issues and hear from nonprofit organizations about their programs and services. Since then, the group has evolved to include collaborative grantmaking. Members with the Funders Forum Collaborative include Ball Brothers Foundation, George and Frances Ball Foundation, The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Delaware Advancement Corporation/Muncie Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, First Merchants Corporation, Indiana Michigan Power, Harry and Janet Kitselman Fund, Kiwanis Club of Muncie, Maxon Foundation Fund, Muncie Altrusa Foundation, MutualBank Charitable Foundation, Office of Community Development – City of Muncie, Old National Bank Foundation, Psi Iota Xi, Rotary Club of Muncie, Hamer and Phyllis Shafer Foundation, Tri Kappa, United Way of Delaware, Henry, and Randolph Counties, and the Sherman and Marjorie Zeigler Foundation. Applications to the Funders Forum Collaborative and the K-12 Technology Resilience Initiative are accepted by invitation only.
