The Pro Bono Publico Foundation has awarded nearly $220,000 in grants to schools and to organizations helping schools succeed in their educational missions. This is the third cycle of grants made by the Foundation, which was organized by members of the Rex Organization to help support initiatives vital to the recovery of the city following post-Katrina flooding. The Foundation takes its name from the Rex motto, “Pro Bono Publico,” which means “for the public good.”
Rex members directly contribute most of the funds committed through PBPF grants, and their donations allowed this year’s grant total to grow by $65,000, a 40% increase over last year’s total of $154,000. Grants have focused on schools and organizations supporting the vital mission of educating New Orleans’ children.
Pro Bono Foundation leaders said their on-going support for public education in New Orleans is based on their belief that no part of the city’s recovery has offered more hope, as well as evidence of solid progress, than the reform of our failed system of public schools. New Orleans has become a model of educational reform, and children now have access to a network of successful and accountable schools, predominantly charter schools, which now serve over 60% of our students.
The drive for system-wide school reform in New Orleans has attracted not only strong and enthusiastic local support but also generous national assistance. Organizations such as Teach for America and KIPP have joined local organizations such as New Schools for New Orleans and New Orleans Outreach to assure that the process of renewal and reform succeeds. Rex members have helped lead and support many of these organizations and schools, and many have received grants from the Pro Bono Publico Foundation.
This year’s grant recipients (* indicates first-time grant recipients):
Charter Schools:
- New Orleans Charter College Prep
- Warren Easton Charter High School
- KIPP New Orleans Schools (operating five charter schools)
- First Line Schools* (operating two charter schools)
- McDonogh City Park Academy*
- Crocker Arts and Technology Charter School*
- Miller-McCoy Charter Middle and High School*
Other Schools:
- The Good Shepherd School
- Cathedral Academy
- New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA)
- Xavier University Preparatory School*
Supporting Organizations:
- Teach for America
- New Schools for New Orleans
- Center for Development and Learning
- New Orleans Outreach
- Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
- Communities in Schools*