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Fund For Educational Excellence Inc

Annual Giving
$21.1M
Grant Range
$2K - $0.0M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $21,073,076 (2022 expenses)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Varies by program; Heart of School Fund operates 6 times per year
  • Grant Range: $1,500 - $7,500 (Heart of School Fund for principals)
  • Geographic Focus: Baltimore City, Maryland
  • Founded: 1984

Contact Details

Address: 800 North Charles Street, Suite 400, Baltimore, MD 21201

Phone: (410) 685-8300

Fax: (410) 685-1551

Email: info@ffee.org

Website: https://ffee.org

Overview

The Fund for Educational Excellence (FFEE) is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1984 as Baltimore City's only public education fund. Over the past 40 years, the organization has served as a stabilizing force in Baltimore City, working to close equity and opportunity gaps for all students in Baltimore City Public Schools. The Fund has three core focus areas: expanding resources, identifying and accelerating solutions, and recognizing excellence. Since President & CEO Roger Schulman joined in 2010, the organization has managed and secured over $85 million in public and private funds for Baltimore City Public Schools. The Fund earned a Four-Star rating (97%) from Charity Navigator, reflecting strong financial health and accountability. The organization provides superior stewardship of over $20 million in private philanthropic support for innovative programs improving academic outcomes.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Heart of the School Fund (Year-Round Grant Program)

  • Amount: $1,500 - $7,500 per grant; maximum of $7,500 per school over a two-year period
  • Frequency: Six grant cycles per year
  • Eligibility: Only open to Baltimore City Public Schools principals
  • Application Method: Rolling basis through application to the Fund
  • Purpose: School enhancements, technology, field trips, teacher professional development, musical instruments, school beautification, outdoor classrooms

Heart of the Schools Awards (Annual Recognition)

  • Amount: $2,500 per award winner
  • Purpose: Annual recognition of exceptional principals selected from community nominations
  • Use: Supports needs at award-winning principals' schools

District Fundraising & Fiscal Sponsorship

  • The Fund does not accept unsolicited grant applications from external organizations
  • Instead, the Fund raises and distributes major grants TO Baltimore City Public Schools from national foundations
  • The Fund also serves as fiscal sponsor for approximately 25 mission-aligned educational initiatives
  • Recent major grants secured include: $12 million from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for 9th grade achievement, $5 million from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation for school libraries, $1.5 million from Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies for pandemic response

Pre-K Expansion Program

  • The Fund received a $500,000 grant to develop a competitive process to sub-grant to organizations expanding Pre-K and child care programs in Baltimore
  • This represents a new grant-making capacity for early childhood education providers

Priority Areas

  • Technology for classrooms
  • Field trips and educational experiences
  • Teacher and staff professional development
  • School beautification projects
  • Musical instruments and arts programs
  • Outdoor learning spaces
  • Early childhood education expansion
  • Literacy outcomes
  • Social emotional learning
  • Career and technical education
  • 9th grade achievement programs
  • School libraries

What They Don't Fund

The Fund does not accept unsolicited applications from organizations outside Baltimore City Public Schools system for most programs. The Heart of the School Fund is exclusively for Baltimore City Public Schools principals.

Governance and Leadership

Leadership

Roger Schulman - President & CEO (since 2010)

  • Former Teach for America corps member who taught science and social studies at West Baltimore Middle School
  • Under his leadership, the Fund has secured over $85 million in funding
  • Total compensation: $189,873 (2022)
  • Philosophy: "We've focused on the work we believed only the Fund was positioned to do and made that core to the focus of our efforts every day"
  • On equity: "Education was an important lever for changing the outcome gaps we have in our country... raising the bar for the whole system is how we're actually going to get to a population-level change"

Chuck Adkins - Chief Financial Officer

  • Oversees organization finances, human resources, and strategic fiscal planning
  • Manages financial reporting to board, public, and stakeholders

Patrick Locklin - Director of Finance

  • Manages Fund's financial operations
  • Supports over two dozen fiscal sponsorship initiatives and fiscal agent clients

Board of Directors

Board Leadership:

  • Beth Felder - Chair, Community Volunteer
  • Ilene Berman - Vice Chair, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
  • Russell Moore - Vice Chair, Accenture
  • Cinda Hughes - Treasurer, Community Volunteer
  • Nancy Jordan-Howard - Secretary, Community Volunteer (also Chief Operating Officer at Baltimore Development Corporation)

At-Large Members:

  • Mark Bell - Baltimore County Police Department
  • Vanessa Douyon - Gradient Consulting
  • Jill Feinberg - Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital
  • Michele Hong - Maryland Department
  • Justin A. Redd - Principal at Kramon & Graham, P.A., leads firm's diversity, equity, and inclusion committee
  • Arun Subhas - Office Managing Partner, Baltimore office of Ernst & Young LLP

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Baltimore City Public Schools Principals (Heart of the School Fund): The Heart of the School Fund is exclusively open to Baltimore City Public Schools principals. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis six times per year. Principals can apply for grants ranging from $1,500 to $7,500 for school enhancement projects. Each school can receive a maximum of $7,500 over a two-year period across multiple grants.

For Organizations Seeking Fiscal Sponsorship: The Fund provides fiscal sponsorship services to mission-aligned local nonprofit organizations and community programs focused on Baltimore City Public Schools. Organizations interested in fiscal sponsorship should contact the Fund directly at info@ffee.org or (410) 685-8300. The Fund currently supports approximately 25 mission-aligned initiatives through fiscal sponsorship.

For Early Childhood Education Providers (New Program): The Fund will develop a competitive process to sub-grant funds to organizations expanding Pre-K and child care programs in Baltimore. Details about this application process are being developed. Organizations should monitor the Fund's website or contact them directly for updates.

Important Note: The Fund does not have a public application process for most external organizations. The Fund primarily raises money FROM major foundations and distributes it TO Baltimore City Public Schools and fiscal sponsorship clients based on identified district priorities.

Decision Timeline

  • Heart of the School Fund: Six grant cycles per year; specific timeline for each cycle not publicly available
  • Fiscal Sponsorship: Timeline varies based on organizational needs and Fund capacity

Success Rates

  • 82 awards made in 2022
  • 65 awards made in 2021
  • 102 awards made in 2020
  • Over 225 grants awarded to City Schools principals for school enhancement projects (cumulative)
  • Approximately $450,000 in grants awarded through Heart of the School Fund for more than 125 projects

Reapplication Policy

For the Heart of the School Fund, principals can apply multiple times, with the only restriction being the $7,500 maximum per school over a two-year period. Schools are encouraged to reapply for different projects.

Application Success Factors

For Baltimore City Public Schools Principals

Examples of Successful Projects:

  • Digital Harbor High School received funding to transform an existing space into a visual arts classroom (March 2024)
  • City Neighbors High School received funding to create an outdoor classroom on their campus (November 2023)
  • Western High School received $5,000 for the Front Campus Project, creating greenspace with sustainable flowering trees
  • The Tunbridge School received funding for a stage for musical productions

Alignment Factors:

  • Projects should enhance school buildings, students' learning, or staff growth
  • Focus on tangible, specific needs with clear outcomes
  • Technology integration, professional development, and student experience enhancements are well-supported
  • School beautification and outdoor learning spaces are funded
  • Arts education (musical instruments, visual arts spaces, performance venues) receive support

Strategic Guidance: Roger Schulman emphasizes that the Fund focuses on "work we believed only the Fund was positioned to do." This suggests successful applications should demonstrate needs that aren't met by other funding sources and align with the district's highest-priority needs.

For Organizations Seeking Fiscal Sponsorship

Organizations must be mission-aligned with improving outcomes for Baltimore City Public Schools students. The Fund looks for initiatives developing innovative educational reforms and expanding student access to high-quality education. Organizations should be prepared to rely on the Fund for back-end administrative services including detailed budget management and financial reporting while focusing on programmatic goals.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • For most external organizations: The Fund does not accept unsolicited grant applications. They serve as a fundraiser FOR Baltimore City Public Schools, not a traditional grantmaker TO external organizations (except through fiscal sponsorship)
  • For Baltimore City principals: The Heart of the School Fund provides accessible funding for school-level needs; principals should focus on specific, tangible projects that enhance learning, teaching, or the school environment
  • Successful grant examples: Review funded projects (visual arts classrooms, outdoor classrooms, greenspace projects, musical production stages) to understand the range and scale of supported initiatives
  • Multiple applications encouraged: With six grant cycles per year and a two-year $7,500 cap, principals can apply multiple times for different projects
  • Mission alignment is critical: All funding must support Baltimore City Public Schools and address equity and opportunity gaps
  • Fiscal sponsorship pathway: For organizations working on Baltimore City education issues, fiscal sponsorship may be the primary pathway to partner with the Fund
  • New early childhood opportunity: The Fund's new $500,000 Pre-K expansion initiative will create sub-granting opportunities for early childhood education providers in Baltimore

References

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