NICOLAS FUND FOR EDUCATION
Empowering Mayan youth through education.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Free education stops after sixth grade in Guatemala, and the rural indigenous farming families we serve would typically not have the financial resources to send a child to secondary school. Three-fourths of Mayans in Guatemala are poor (ENCOVI 2000). The few families that can afford to send one child to secondary school will typically send a son rather than a daughter. Mayan young women are the most underserved and disadvantaged group. Of rural indigenous young women who do not pursue education after sixth grade, 68% become pregnant between ages 12 and 14, and they have several children by age 30. Only 39% of Mayan women in Guatemala between ages 15- to 64-year-old women are literate. Lack of literacy, formal education and job skills leave these women vulnerable to financial exploitation and domestic abuse. If a husband abandons the family or suffers a disabling injury, the wife has few resources to support her family independently. We serve Ixil and Quiché Mayan peoples.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Nicolás Fund for Education
We provide junior and senior high scholarships and university scholarships for indigenous Mayan youth in the western highland mountains of Guatemala. We operate a preschool program.
The region that these young people live in was terribly impacted by a 36 year civil war, with the Mayan Ixil people from this region caught between the Guatemalan Army and the left-wing Guerillas. More than 200,000 people were killed over the course of the 36-year-long civil war that began in 1960 and ended with peace accords in 1996. About 83 percent of those killed were Mayan, and many were the grandparents of our student population. Students in rural indigenous villages are underserved in education, with few resources provided. Mayan women are the most disadvantaged group by far. Only two-thirds of 10-19 year old Mayan females are literate (vs. 80% of Mayan males) (Shapiro 2005). At age 16, only 25% of Mayan girls are enrolled in school. The primary reason is financial: free education stops after sixth grade in Guatemala. 68% of rural indigenous girls who do not attend school after sixth grade become pregnant between ages 12-14. Students attending Nicolas Christian School are choosing to pursue their educational dreams and delaying childbearing to pursue their educational dreams.
Nicolás Christian School (Colegio Cristiano Nicolás)
Nicolás Christian School is a Christian junior and senior high school that we started in January 2016. This is the first full-day school in the region, as the regional standard is half-day junior/senior high programs. We are fully licensed and approved by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, and we not only meet but exceed Guatemalan Ministry of Education requirements.
We operate a preschool and offer fifth and sixth-grade tutoring in nine villages to help prepare students to succeed in seventh grade. We offer adult literacy classes. In partnership with villages, we have installed nine village libraries and filled them with books.
We celebrate Mayan culture, and our students study both Ixil (a Mayan language that is spoken in this region), Spanish, and English. All students learn carpentry skills and learn to make a chair, table, shelves, and bookcase. We have a partnership with a Guatemalan vocational school. We have a university scholarship program.
Ten Talents Scholarship Program
Provides scholarships to universities and vocational schools.
Where we work
External reviews

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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of teachers retained after 12 months
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Extremely poor people, Low-income people, Working poor, People of Central American descent, Adolescents
Related Program
Nicolás Christian School (Colegio Cristiano Nicolás)
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
We also employ tutors to carry out tutoring of 5th and 6th-grade students in their villages.
Number of teachers involved in school-wide decisions about student learning
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, People of Central American descent, Extremely poor people, Low-income people, Working poor
Related Program
Nicolás Christian School (Colegio Cristiano Nicolás)
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our academic staff was surveyed by Best Christian Workplace Institute in 2019-2022 and in 2021 achieved the highest level that Best Christian Workplace Institute had ever measured for quality.
Number of administrators and staff who plan and experience professional development activities together
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, People of Central American descent, Extremely poor people, Low-income people, Working poor
Related Program
Nicolás Christian School (Colegio Cristiano Nicolás)
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our academic staff has completed professional development training in an online academic tool called Progrentis, has completed training in leadership using John Maxwell principles and Teacher Pro. Dev
Number of program participants who receive a secondary school diploma or GED
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, People of Central American descent, Extremely poor people, Low-income people, Working poor
Related Program
Nicolás Christian School (Colegio Cristiano Nicolás)
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Numbered of staff who are satisfied to be an employee of the institution
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, People of Central American descent, Extremely poor people, Low-income people, Working poor
Related Program
Nicolás Christian School (Colegio Cristiano Nicolás)
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our staff participates in annual surveys through the Best Christian Workplace Institute and we consistently rank as a thriving, great place to work. Our staff satisfaction ratings are very high.
Number of donations made by board members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, People of Central American descent, Extremely poor people, Low-income people, Working poor
Related Program
Nicolás Fund for Education
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
100% of our board members donated to Nicolás Fund for Education in 2021.
Number of donors retained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Nicolás Fund for Education
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We have extraordinarily loyal donors. Many of our donors have given consistently since 2013.
Number of students showing improvement in test scores
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People of Central American descent, Extremely poor people, Low-income people, Working poor, Children and youth
Related Program
Nicolás Christian School (Colegio Cristiano Nicolás)
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Only 20% rural indigenous students graduate high school. 2022 Grad: 15 2021: 13 (84%) 2020: 13 (100% 2019: 10 (100%) 2018: 6 (100%) 85% 5th-6th increased test scores 2022
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Goals
1.Increase the graduation rate from the 9th grade level of all village children to at least 80% of those who start 7th grade in our Christian-based academic program.
2. Increase the percentage of children that graduate from High School (or equivalent) to 80% that start 7th grade in our program.
3. Instill a desire for graduates to contribute to the Ixil region and to their own community so they can “pass on the blessing.”
4. Create a sustainable education initiative involving the village education committees, village families, and primary school teachers.
5. Provide opportunities through mission trips for donors and others to personally engage with Nicolás Fund for Education scholars and their families.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Nicolás Fund for Education provides free high-quality secondary school education to indigenous Mayan youth living in the western highland mountains of Guatemala.
• We currently serve 140-150 students from nine different Mayan villages or towns at Nicolás Christian School.
• We operate a preschool serving 25 students.
• We provide tutoring for 65 fifth and sixth-grade students in nine different villages.
• We have a small university scholarship program for our graduates.
• We present a regional annual Teacher Professional Development Workshop for all K-11 teachers attended by up
to 150 teachers.
Nicolás Christian School is the only full-day school in this region, with other schools following a half-day schedule. We are certified by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education. We are committed to promoting education for women, and 47% of our 2023 student body is female. Each student attending our school also receives leadership training using principles from John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Further, our school offers all of our students a carpentry class where students build tables, chairs, bookshelves, and frames. Our students have built all the desks and chairs at our school. Our young women are especially proud of this achievement, and many have stated, “I can do this just as well as any boy!”
Nicolás Fund for Education has never had any debt and we always fundraise a year in advance for the next year’s students.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our US organization is all volunteer with the exception of one part-time US virtual assistant, and we concentrate all resources on our school program, staff and students in Guatemala. We have a Guatemalan National Director, Ivan España.
We started our own Christian junior and senior full-day high school in January 2016. We employ an academic staff of one Principal, 14 teachers at Nicolás Christian School and 4 tutors. We have tutors in nine villages working with 5th and 6th grade students to help them prepare to successfully transition to a challenging junior high school program at Nicolás Christian School. We operate a preschool, as well as an adult literacy class.
We have US-based volunteer educators providing assistance to our Guatemalan academic staff through information on reading development programs, classroom management and the educators have initiated the village library concept and promoted fundraising for books to fill shelves.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 2016, Nicolás Christian School has helped 239 Mayan students graduate from junior high school and 76 students graduate from high school! Our student body has been composed of an average of about 47-48% females. Mayan young women are the most underserved and disadvantaged group. 68% of rural indigenous young women who do not pursue education after sixth grade become pregnant between ages 12-14 years old and have several children by age 30. Only 39% of 15-64-year-old Mayan women are literate. 100% of enrolled 11th grade students have graduated from high school each year for years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Seventy-three 5th and 6th grade students received tutoring in NINE villages to help prepare them for successful entrance (transition) into 7th grade at Nicolás Christian School. Tutoring includes math, language, social studies, natural science, technology, engineering and citizenship. 47% of our tutoring students are girls. 3 students graduated from preschool in 2020! Only 11% of children in Guatemala have access to preschool programs. These Quiché-speaking children are learning Spanish three to five years earlier than children not in preschool. (Spanish is typically not taught until 3rd grade.) Improved literacy in Spanish will benefit our students throughout their entire academic career and beyond. We have six adults taking adult literacy classes, with two students having progressed to an intermediate level of fluency in Spanish reading.
Prior to school closures related to the pandemic, our academic staff developed digital learning resources that could be used in remote villages. When schools closed on March 14, 2020, we sent each of our students a tablet loaded with 30 days of digital learning material that is swapped out every 30 days for new learning material. Our students continued their education despite the pandemic, and are still studying at home in 2021.
Nicolás Fund for Education has a goal of promoting a culture of reading for pleasure in Guatemala. Nicolás Fund for Education has worked with villages to establish three brand new village libraries filled with new books. Additional village libraries will open in 2021.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, Lack of access to technology.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
NICOLAS FUND FOR EDUCATION
Board of directorsas of 07/03/2023
Rebecca Merritt
Self-employed Independent Nurse Case Manager in Workers' Compensation
Term: 2019 - 2024
Rebecca J Merritt
Lolo Levy
Bill Safstrom
Mary Young
Kathy Riper
Carrie Nordberg
Heidi Reynolds
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/03/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.