Education Foundation

The Decatur County Education Foundation

Questions and Answers • Purpose • How The Moneys Used • Our Future

The Decatur County Education Foundation represents a continuation of the commitment by business and industry, as well as others in the private sector, to support and encourage better education for Decatur County students.

The Education Foundation has given away over $28,000 in teacher mini grants since 1999. Applications for mini-grants are available at all Decatur County Schools or the Education Foundation office (located in the Chamber Building). Deadlines are April 15th and October 15th. Grants are awarded based on innovative ideas and project cost.

An Initiative of the Community Action Network & the Chamber of Commerce.

"Supporting and encouraging better education in today's classroom as well as helping to make higher education available to all high school graduates"

The intent of the Decatur County Education Foundation is to provide an avenue whereby businesses, industry, and individuals may contribute funds to promote a higher level of education for citizens of Decatur County. These funds may be distributed in the form of:

	Scholarships for graduating seniors planning to pursue higher education
	Mini grants for innovative classroom projects.

Questions & Answers

Question: Are gifts to the Foundation tax deductible?

Yes. The foundation has 501(c)(3) tax status. Tax ID: (62-1746819)

Question: Who will direct or control the actions of the Board of Trustees?

They will be governed by a set of by-laws under the governance of the charter as granted by the State of Tennessee.

Question: Will the Foundation accept donations other than cash?

The Foundation welcomes real estate, stocks and bonds, estate planning gifts, and beneficiary designations through life insurance policies.

Question: Who can apply for a scholarship?

Everyone graduating from the Decatur County School System who meets the requirements may apply.

Question: Who is eligible to receive mini grants?

Professional teachers within the Decatur County School Educational System can apply for funding to implement innovative educational projects. An out of county evaluation team will evaluate each request that is received to determine which proposal will be funded.

Question: Who will benefit from the Foundation?

The children of Decatur County will benefit from enhanced educational opportunity allowing them to achieve and develop their potential as tomorrow's productive citizens.

Purpose

The purpose of the Education Foundation is to secure our future by broadening the field of educational opportunity for all Decatur County students. This non-profit foundation will be responsible for securing, receiving, holding, and investing funds for distribution to promote, sponsor, foster and carry out activities that expand the educational opportunities for students regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin. It allows students to gain the knowledge and skills needed for our changing world.

No investment is greater than helping students achieve goals that will help them mature into tomorrow's responsible leaders.

How will your money be used?

Scholarships will be offered each year to all graduating seniors to pursue college or advanced degrees. As the Foundation grows, so will the number of scholarships. This will ease the financial burden of higher education for as many students as possible.

Teacher mini-grants are another important purpose of the Foundation. The quality of public education in Decatur County will be improved through selective funding of special classroom projects, available through public funding.

Foundation funding will be used to secure matching funds for educational grants, which are made available through the state and federal government.

"Preparing Our Children for the Future"

With the age of technology upon us, we must offer our children a quality education that will provide them with the needed skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Advanced training is needed to qualify for most high paying jobs. We must offer an education that will make our students competitive in the job markets of today and tomorrow. It is the vision of the Education Foundation that no child of Decatur County will miss the opportunity of a college education because of their financial situation.

The Answer for Our County's Future

Decatur County's future depends on quality jobs, which require skilled labor and demand good pay. Industries seek to locate in areas with a highly educated and well-trained work force. A quality workforce draws jobs, which broadens our tax base, and ultimately impacts our economic growth.

For More Information and Questions Click Here