$18 Million! Now is a moment to dream big.

We are incredibly excited about the one-time gift of $18 million to Durham Public Schools from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. It’s wonderful to imagine how these funds could even further boost the great momentum that continues to build across DPS. 

While the school district is the recipient of this donation, it is a gift to the entire Durham community that creates an exciting opportunity to dream big. This grant could make it possible for the district to implement a big idea that funds haven’t been available for in the past; a bold, innovative approach for accelerating progress in our public schools. 

This generous philanthropic gift to the district is also a call to action to our community to step up in our own way - whatever way we can - to accelerate transformation across our public schools. While a large amount of funding, this one-time grant to the school district represents only a small fraction of DPS’s annual budget of over $680 million.  But when the power of community giving is paired with investments like this grant, there is huge potential for transformative change. 

As a community-rooted nonprofit that is separate from the school district, DPS Foundation builds sustained, local support for our public schools. DPS Foundation not only raises funds. We convene and create space for our community to dream of big ideas that foster equity, empower our students, families, and teachers, and transform our schools. We invest strategically in innovative approaches that move us towards realizing those dreams. This is a moment to turn our community’s big dreams into big progress. 

We are confident that district leaders will build an intentional and collaborative approach for determining the most impactful use of these funds. We encourage you to be a part of those conversations to come. 

This year, DPS Foundation is raising $2 million to advance the 6 priority areas shared below and we launched a $3.5 million campaign for the WHOLE Schools Movement to reimagine how our schools meet the youth mental health crisis. 

When the full community leverages its resources - the time, talent, and treasure of businesses, individuals, parents, teachers, neighbors - we can fulfill the promise of public education in Durham. 

That’s the kind of sustained community investment that DPS Foundation is building. And our shared future depends on it.

Next steps to meet the moment:

  • Read the priorities below that shape DPS Foundation’s community-rooted approach and what we hear our students, educators, and families dreaming about. 

  • Share this vision with your friends and neighbors, and reach out to district leaders to share your big ideas. 

  • Make a year-end gift to DPS Foundation to be a part of the movement to accelerate transformation in our public schools


DPS Foundation's Priorities &
the BIG Dreams We Hear Across Durham's Public Schools:

There is limitless potential for our students and for our community when we fulfill the promise of what public education could be when fully resourced and supported. 

These are priorities that shape DPS Foundation’s community-rooted approach to accelerating transformation in our public schools and these are the big opportunities we hear our students, educators, and families dreaming about. We won’t realize all of this vision at once and this amounts to far, far more than what this one-time gift can accomplish. Making this our reality in Durham will take sustained community support and investment in our public schools. But significantly moving the needle on any one of these priorities would be a huge step forward. 

  1. Building our schools as community schools where students, families, and educators have meaningful leadership and connection to community partners. What would it look like for every school to have a parent organizer who builds engagement and leadership of historically marginalized families? What would it take for every school to provide daily free or low cost nutritious meals to families?  How could communities be transformed if schools across Durham had school-based health clinics? 

  2. Reimagining how our schools meet the mental health needs of students and educators so that everyone in our schools feels they are safe, supported, and WHOLE. How would students’ learning and growth be unlocked if every school met the recommended ratio of students to counselors and had free therapy for all students and teachers who need it? What are the resources teachers and school staff need to reduce burnout and be able to be their best in supporting students’ growth while leading whole, healthy lives? 

  3. Ensuring non-English speaking students and families have equitable access to instruction, school community, and influence in their schools. What would it take for all non-English speaking students to have full access to academic and social emotional learning in all classrooms? How can the district invest in a training and certification pipeline for bilingual teachers?

  4. Enabling all students to pursue their dreams and be leaders in our community after high school. How can students be paid for internships and apprenticeships that prepare them for the growing careers in our region? What would it take for our community to provide full in-state college tuition for all graduating students?

  5. Building the power of historically marginalized students, families, and educators to be the leaders for change in their schools. What potential would be unlocked if the district had a team of paid parent organizers to strengthen the voice of parents - especially parents and caregivers of historically marginalized students - in shaping district and school-level priorities?

  6. Fostering broad and deep community engagement with our public schools so that our community goes to public schools together. How can the district provide support to every school in preparing to welcome new families through Growing Together changes? How many more families could see the benefits to their children going to DPS if great storytelling and school-level engagement reached families across Durham?

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