CRCSF Receives Large Year End Donation

The Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation (CRCSF) announced the receipt of a $10,000 donation from an anonymous donor to fund the Foundation’s Student Enrichment Grant program for 2015. The CRCSF instituted the Student Enrichment Grant program in 2006 with the awareness that District educators were passionate about the learning opportunities available to students, yet often dipped into their own pockets to help cover the expense of additional classroom supplies. As a response, the Foundation created the Student Enrichment Grant program that reimburses teachers up to $100 of personal funds expensed on behalf of their students and/or classroom. Examples of past grants include funding for: art supplies, sheet music, calculators, flash cards, books for the classroom or IMC, non-print material (DVD & CDs), headphones, educational games, kits or other support materials. To date, the Student Enrichment Grant program has provided nearly $45,000 in teacher grants and benefited more than 53,000 students. The majority of the grants are for items that staff use for multiple years. “This donation came as a wonderful surprise,” says Jen Neumann, Chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees. “This donation will make a big difference for a lot of teachers and their students. The Student Enrichment Grant program is one of the ways we close the gap between available funding and success for our studen