Strength for the Future: Teach 4 Anne Arundel Endowment Fund

When it came time for the 21^st Century Education Foundation to fund scholarships for future Anne Arundel County (AAC) teachers, it was an easy decision for them to open an endowment at the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC), said Executive Director Carol Ann McCurdy. The Teach 4 Anne Arundel Endowment Fund was created to fund scholarships for graduating AAC high school students who will return to the county to teach after college. 

“We have a great working relationship with the Community Foundation,” said McCurdy about setting up the fund. “We felt secure that they would be good stewards of our endowment fund.” 

Established in 1998 as a way for the community to support education in the AAC public school system, the 21st Century Education Foundation is able to accept donations for items that are not funded by the county in several key areas including technology, students and families in need, internet access, hunger, and teacher recognition.  

“The 21^st Century Education Foundation is about supporting education in the county,” explained McCurdy. “For example, we fund mentorships and internships, and recognize educators through Teacher of the Year, Teacher Appreciation Week, and the Thank a Teacher Campaign.”

McCurdy said setting up the endowment fund at CFAAC was easy.  “The staff at CFAAC was able to explain the process of establishing a fund to our board in a way that was simple to understand,” she said.

“Also, for a small nonprofit, which is what we are, it relieves our staff and board of the accounting and investment management  responsibilities,” she added, referring to how CFAAC endowment funds are professionally invested under the supervision of local, community-based financial experts who have experience in building and preserving funds in perpetuity.

McCurdy added that the 21^st Century Education Foundation board also enjoyed the increased visibility provided by being a part of CFAAC’s larger giving community. Agency funds are featured on CFAAC’s website and may enhance the organization’s fundraising prospects, as some donors prefer the long-term security of giving through CFAAC.  

The Teach 4 Anne Arundel Endowment Fund came about as an initiative of the County’s School Board, said McCurdy. “They felt strongly that we needed to have something in place to grow our own county teachers,” she said. “We had some small donations to support the endowment and the county government also provided funding through a grant.” 

The importance of the Teach 4 Anne Arundel Endowment Fund at CFAAC, said McCurdy, isn’t only to provide financial support to students, it’s also to provide them with practical experience throughout college so they are already connected to the county school system. Examples could include providing students opportunities to work in summer programs and work as teacher’s assistants during winter break to get practical classroom experience.  

“Students are getting real life experiences, getting paid, and getting mentored all along the way,” she said. “We will also be very strategic about how we place those students because we want them to know the county and all the schools in it. We want to give them the experiences they need so that they will be the best first-year teachers when they come back to us.”