THE LOUIS CALDER FOUNDATION

Seeks Background Letters from Charter and Parochial Schools for Initiatives to Develop Comprehensive Content Based Core Curriculum Education Programs

The Louis Calder Foundation, a private foundation located in New Canaan, CT, invites charter and parochial schools to submit preliminary information on their plans/initiatives to develop/enhance efforts to adopt/strengthen comprehensive, sequenced, content-rich core curricula that build general knowledge in grades K-8. 

Trustees of The Foundation believe that a traditional liberal arts curriculum inculcates a student with knowledge and values that are important to the individual and to the society in which he or she lives. They believe that optimum academic and intellectual development is achieved when all students enjoy the benefit of a rigorous, content-based core curriculum and therefore possess a common body of knowledge.

Funding will target individual charter or parochial schools that are developing and implementing a new core curriculum or improving an existing one.  The curriculum should address a wide range of classical liberal subjects including literature, history, ethics, mathematics and the sciences.  Charter management organizations or consortia of parochial or charter schools may apply for projects based at a single member school.  Funding also will be available to community-based organizations interested in developing and implementing summer, after-school or weekend programs that would immerse students in one or more of the targeted subjects.

Acknowledging that it is essential that the learning environment be technologically up-to-date and physically conducive for faculty to effectively deliver content knowledge in the classical subject areas, the foundation will offer one-time capital grants to support upgrades, renovations, or new construction efforts that are shown to be crucial for curricular change.  This capital funding stream is in addition to grants for curriculum projects.

Schools and organizations from communities located east of the Mississippi River with populations no greater than 500,000 are invited to email a brief background letter describing their plans and efforts. The email should include information on your community, schools, current curriculum and project budget. The email address is proposals@calderfdn.org.

Please visit our website at www.louiscalderfdn.org for further information on The Foundation.

posted: 3/11/08