Cooke Foundation Awards Over $230,000 to Nine Local Nonprofits

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Apr 23, 2015, 09:13 ET

LANSDOWNE, Va., April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 62,000 students with financial need in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia will benefit from new and expanding summer and academic year programs thanks to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's 2015 Good Neighbor Grants. The Cooke Foundation has awarded a total of $238,770 to nine local nonprofit organizations focused on providing the highest quality of academic programs, college access initiatives, and arts education.

Each Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, D.C.-based organization will receive one-time grants worth between $10,000 and $35,000.

"Our 2015 Good Neighbor Grants are fostering the creation of innovative new programs and amplifying cutting-edge programs that have proven effective to benefit hugely low-income students who would not otherwise have access to such opportunities," said Executive Director Harold O. Levy.

This year's recipients are as follows:

Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra (Loudoun, VA) – $35,000 to launch the Preparatory Retreat for Excellence in Performance—an exciting new program, which will offer 80 students advanced music instruction, performance opportunities, and the creation of an audition recording to enable the LSYO to perform at a nationally recognized performing arts venue in 2016.

Center for Inspired Teaching (Washington, D.C.) – $35,000 will support the participation of 100 K-3 students in nationally and globally recognized inquiry-based program—Dive into Inquiry—a four-week summer exploration building creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking.

College Summit (Washington, DC) – $20,000 to lead two "App-a-thons" connecting over 33,000 low-income students and their educators in the DC region to college and career guidance through innovative online and mobile applications.

School for Ethics and Global Leadership (Washington, DC) – $35,000 to create 12 new scholarships to eleventh-grade students to enroll in the intensive summer or semester-long program emphasizing leadership, ethical decision making, and international affairs.

Emerging Scholars (Alexandria, VA) – $27,000 to fully implement the newly developed curriculum for its seven-week summer program focusing on science, engineering, math, and arts (STEAM) for 45 5^th and 6^th grade students.

Castleton Festival (Northern Piedmont, VA) – $20,000 to bring world-class performing arts to 1,000 students, many from rural communities, in Castleton Alive, an educationally enriched arts program founded by the late Lorin Maazel, esteemed conductor of the New York Philharmonic.

Center for Student Opportunity (Washington Metropolitan Area) – $20,900 to hold six college workshops for first-generation college bound students and their families, and distribute its annual college guide to 52 high schools that serve the majority of low-income students.

College Access Fairfax (Fairfax, VA) – $10,870 to support the Financial Aid Champion Program, which provides FAFSA completion guidance to low-income students and parents at four high schools.

Journey Through Hallowed Ground (Loudoun, VA) – $35,000 to expand access to Extreme Journey, a two-week, experiential history-based summer camp to 100 additional middle school students in Loudoun and Fauquier Counties.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. By offering the largest scholarships in the country, comprehensive counseling and other support services to students from 7th grade to graduate school, the Foundation is dedicated to ensuring high-performing, low-income students have the support necessary to develop their talents and excel educationally. In addition to its scholarship programs, the Foundation provides grants for innovative, high-impact initiatives that benefit such students. By doing so, the Cooke Foundation seeks to use its resources to end the Excellence Gap, the disparity between the number of low and high income students who reach the top levels of academic performance. Founded in 2000, the Foundation has awarded $130 million in scholarships to 1,900 students and over $80 million in grants. www.jkcf.org

SOURCE Jack Kent Cooke Foundation