Fauquier Education Foundation Receives NPCF and PATH Grants

The Fauquier Education Foundation (FEF) recently secured two significant grants, totaling nearly $55,000, from the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation (NPCF) and the PATH Foundation. This vital funding will dramatically enhance two key areas of FEF's mission: boosting early childhood literacy and providing critical assistance for student meal debt.

Titled “Launch into Literacy,” the NPCF grant application was a partnership between FEF, Learning Starts Early (LSE), a local nonprofit focused on ensuring pre-school children are prepared for kindergarten, and Fauquier Reaches for Excellence in School Health (FRESH), a division of Fauquier County Public Schools that has a literacy component.

Launched in 2019, My First Book Club provides a new book each month during the school year to at-risk pre-school students within Fauquier County Public Schools (FCPS). Their teachers also receive these books, which are first read in class, improving literacy skills, promoting peer interaction, and fostering a love for reading. Children then take the books home, where they can share them with their parents and siblings. They’re also provided with a small bookshelf so they can begin their personal library.

The $29,950 Patricia and Nikolaas Kortlandt grant through NPCF will double the number of books each child takes home each month. In addition, grant funding will help offset costs for two Fauquier FRESH programs. The first is the Fauquier affiliate of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which provides age-appropriate books to all children from birth through their fifth birthday. The second program involves the creation of pre-K kits (focused on kindergarten readiness) that are distributed each summer. In the past, LSE provided funding for these kits.

The $25,000 Flexible Funding grant through PATH is earmarked for FEF’s Meal Debt Support program, which is a unique partnership between the Foundation and FCPS’ School Nutrition department. This initiative provides a crucial solution for families facing unforeseen challenges—such as job loss or unexpected medical expenses—who don't qualify for free and reduced-price meals but still can't afford school meal costs. Since the FCPS School Nutrition department is federally funded, it is unable to use its operational money to pay off student meal debt.

“This program fills a critical gap we've seen for years,” says FCPS School Nutrition director SueAnn Fox. “We are required to feed every child, and we do, happily, without question. But when meal debt accrues, we are not permitted to use our federal funds to pay this debt. This new partnership with the Foundation allows us to accept private donations and use them to directly support those who need a little extra help.”

PATH’s $25,000 grant provides a significant funding base for the first year of the program. The public is also invited to contribute to this program; tax-deductible donations can be earmarked for this initiative through the Foundation’s website. Funds will be disbursed twice a year, ensuring a wide and fair distribution based on the money available and the number of qualified applicants. Once a family's application is approved, the funds will be applied directly to their meal debt. FEF and School Nutrition are also working through details for requested opportunities, such as “Feed a Student for a Year” and other focused giving options.

“These grants from the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation and the PATH Foundation are transformative for our community,” says FEF executive director Nancy Griffin-Bonnaire. “They empower us to expand our reach in early literacy, ensuring more children start school ready to learn, and allow us to offer a vital, compassionate safety net for families struggling with meal debt. This support is an investment in the future of our students.”

To learn more about these programs or to donate, visit fauquiereducationfoundation.org.