Latin School of Chicago

Around School Latin Exceeds Goal to Receive E.E. Ford Foundation Grant Recently, the Latin community came together in a brilliant way and raised funds for the student experience endowment fund. Although the goal was $100,000, donors, parents and alumni stepped up and exceeded that goal to raise $166,000, allowing Latin to receive a matching grant of $50,000 from the Edward E. Ford Foundation. e E.E. Ford Foundation is the oldest grant organization in the country with a stated mission to strengthen and support independent secondary schools. Being invited to submit a request and receive such a grant is prestigious; as only 30-some-odd grants were awarded the last few years. Latin will now have more-robust funds for non-tuition expenses – things like soccer cleats, meal cards and club t-shirts – for students who need them, allowing our upper school students to participate more fully in the Latin experience. Tiffany Madigan, a member of the Alumni Association board of directors, and a 1996 graduate, couldn't be more pleased with the response from the Latin community. "We had to explain to alumni what this fund was for because it didn't exist when I was a student, but people understood right away and were very receptive," she said. "People really stepped up to the plate when they saw there was this need." e need for such support was widely embraced. Notably, of the 261 donors, more than one-third were not regular donors to the school and nearly a quarter had never given before. Besides funding extra- and co-curricular activities, the long-term strategy for the funds is to increase financial aid vouchers to give students more choice in their Project Week selection, including one out-of-country experience during high school. "is vigorous response really demonstrates Latin's commitment to holistic scholarships," said Madigan. "Our scholarship program is wonderful, but we want all of our students to be able to immerse themselves in the Latin experience, whether it's a sports team or a club or an out-of-town Project Week destination. "We want everyone at Latin to have the same opportunities, and the way to do that is through a level playing field," said Madigan. In addition to demonstrating Latin's strong commitment to every student's experience, completion of this challenge exemplifies the health and power of the community's generosity – and, working together, the ability to impact Latin students in a concrete way. News & Notes We want everyone at Latin to have the same opportunities, and the way to do that is through a level playing field." – Tiffany Madigan '96 STUDENT EXPERIENCE ENDOWMENT FUND $50 $100 IN THOUSANDS $200 $150 $50,000 matching grant $166,000 raised LATIN'S GOAL The Student Experience Endowment Fund will help students with: Around School 12

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