NEW: Nearly 15 Years Later, Brown University to Make Good on $10 Million Pledge to Providence Youth
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Nearly 15 years after pledging $10 million to support Providence youth, Brown University announced Wednesday that it will permanently endow the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence, which will provide financial support for the city’s Pre-K-12 students through a range of educational initiatives.
The move comes after students, faculty, graduates, and educators called on the Ivy League school this year to address what they say is its “debt” to Rhode Island youth -- specifically, the group pointed to Brown not fully funding The Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence to provide more local youth with college scholarships -- which the university now says it is “now committed” to doing.
As part of the pledge made after its 2006 report on the University’s historic ties to slavery, Brown University said it has now fully funded a commitment to establish $10 million in endowed funds to support current and future generations of Pre-K-12 students in Providence.
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Brown’s governing board, the Corporation of Brown University, authorized this month the designation of $8.1 million in unrestricted University-endowed funds to complement $1.9 million raised over the years from donor support, achieving full funding for the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence.
As one element in a wide-ranging partnership between the University and the Providence Public School District (PPSD), the Fund will advance initiatives to improve teaching and learning in Pre-K-12 classrooms, ensure access to high-quality education for city students and support PPSD’s Turnaround Action Plan.
“Every student in Providence deserves access to a first-rate education that provides a foundation for successful lives and careers, whatever path they might choose,” said Brown President Christina H. Paxson. “The Fund’s permanent $10 million endowment will ensure sustainable financial support from Brown, enable continuous improvement to teaching and learning in Providence, and play an important part in promoting academic excellence and student success for generations to come.”
“I am deeply gratified that President Paxson and Brown University have continued to take a leadership role in supporting the educational needs of the city’s student body,” said Harrison Peters, turnaround superintendent of Providence Public Schools. “The Providence Public School District and Brown University share a common belief that the welfare and education of our young people are the collective responsibility of the entire Providence community. I am excited about the prospect of future collaborations and their positive impact on our schools.”
Since 2009, the Fund has provided financial support to PPSD schools and students for technology, supplies, musical instruments and scholarships for college-bound students from underrepresented groups. While Brown has progressively raised funds toward the $10 million goal since the Fund’s establishment and — independent of fundraising — had dedicated more than $800,000 annually in financial support for local schools and students, Paxson said the need to do more became acute in 2019. That year, an external review of PPSD schools by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy identified serious challenges with teaching, curriculum, morale, safety, governance and physical infrastructure, and led to the state’s intervention.
Brown’s actions to fulfill the Fund’s $10 million goal, create an oversight committee and launch the Hope High School project follow discussions with local education leaders to identify ways for the University to focus and strengthen support for efforts to improve public education.
As an endowment, the Fund will provide for annual spending in support of specific initiatives. With $10 million in principal, Brown expects an initial payout of approximately $400,000 to $500,000 annually. While this will serve as the core of consistent financial support from the University, Paxson said that Brown will continue to invest in the wide range of existing programs and initiatives that support Providence schools and students.
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