Through a Multicultural Education Grant from Loudoun Interfaith Bridges, the Loudoun Education Foundation is awarding over $8,000 in grant money this week to eleven Loudoun County Public Schools in support of projects that provide multicultural education.

The following schools were awarded grants for projects to be completed this school year:

• Potowmack Elementary – Embracing Africa with “The Griot’s Drum” $ 500.00
• Evergreen Mill Elementary – Multicultural Night: A Global Adventure $ 500.00
• Farmwell Station Middle School – ONYX: Awareness and Celebration of
• Cultural Diversity $ 500.00
• Harmony Middle School – Harmony Celebrates Diversity $1,200.00
• Loudoun Valley High School – New Wilderness Project $1,250.00
• Park View High School – New Wilderness Project $1,250.00
• Guilford Elementary – Ba Fa Ba Fa Cultural Simulation Project $ 289.00
• Potowmack Elementary – Multicultural Awareness at Potowmack Elementary
• and Awareness Fair and Pot Luck $1,036.00
• JL Simpson Middle School – Cultures Around the World $ 404.48
• Broad Run High School – Broad Run High School ELL Literary Magazine $1,500.00
• Seneca Ridge Middle School – Connections: Connecting our Cultures to
• our Histories $ 457.66

The Loudoun Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support programs that enhance the educational experience of the students and teachers in Loudoun County Public Schools. Every year the Foundation awards thousands of dollars in teacher classroom grants for innovative and creative projects that support learning and academic excellence.

This school year, the Loudoun Education Foundation will extend their grant program to include Multicultural Education Grants thanks to a $20,000 grant from Loudoun Interfaith Bridges.

“The Loudoun Education Foundation is very fortunate to be a recipient of a Multicultural Education Grant from Loudoun Interfaith Bridges,” says Dawn Meyer, the executive director of the Loudoun Education Foundation. “This grant money enables us to fund projects in Loudoun County public schools that help students learn about different ethnic groups, cultures and customs. We have many great projects being funded by this grant. Sixth graders at JL Simpson Middle School are researching the cultures and customs of 15 different ethnic groups and then presenting their research to schoolmates, teachers and parents; English language learners from Broad Run High School are producing a multicultural oriented literary and art magazine for the entire school to enjoy; and two high schools, Park View and Loudoun Valley, are working together to develop student leaders in the areas of equity and social justice. These are only a few of the wonderful projects made possible through a grant from Loudoun Interfaith Bridges.”

This spring the Loudoun Education Foundation will award up to $11,000 in additional multicultural grants to be used during the 2012-2013 school year.

LEF Contact: Dawn Meyer, Executive Director – 571-252-1102

Loudoun Interfaith Bridges: Deb Dalby, Board Member - 703-507-7431

The Claude Moore Foundation Board of Trustees have concluded their grant cycle for 2012 and will pledge $957,000 to Loudoun-based charities and organizations.

Created by Loudoun resident Dr. Claude Moore, the foundation has pledged or made grants totaling more than $47 million to various charities since it began in 1987.

“Over the years, the Foundation has pledged or donated over $14 million in charitable grants to nonprofits in Loudoun County, we are deeply committed to making an impact on the quality of life in the county,” J. Hamilton Lambert, executive director of Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, said. “Those gifts together with the more than the $1.2 million dollars in real estate taxes we pay annually, demonstrates the Foundation’s commitment to Loudoun County.”

Loudoun-based charities who received grants include:

• Loudoun Youth Inc. ($10,000)
• Inova Nursing Scholarships ($150,000)
• Arc of Loudoun ($50,000)
• Loudoun Cares ($50,000)
• Every Citizen Has Opportunities, Inc ($26,000)
• Loudoun Education Foundation ($38,000)
• Loudoun Education Foundation ($27,000)
• Loudoun Education Foundation’s Reality Store ($6,000)
• Loudoun Literary Council ($50,000)
• Loudoun County General Distributions ($200,000)
• Claude Moore Healthcare Academies ($350,000).

The Loudoun Education Foundation awarded 23 grants to teachers for the fall teacher grant cycle in November.  Grants ranged from $165 to $500 for projects that deal with math, science, technology, reading, writing, art, social studies, and music.  These grants will support learning for 8,794 students in Loudoun County Public Schools (elementary, middle and high school) during this school year.

Over 1,000 Students Helped with 4 Parent Support Group Grants

The Loudoun Education Foundation funded 4 Parent Support Group Grants titled: Building Bridges Accessible Playground (an inclusive playground), Backpacks for Literacy, Reading Buddies and Science Olympiad. Each grant was for $300 and was awarded in November.