FOUNDATION FOR EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM

Baton Rouge, LA   |  www.foundationebr.org

Mission

The mission of the Foundation for EBRSS is to enhance education by promoting academic excellence, championing innovation, and providing sustained financial support to public schools within the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.

Ruling year info

2013

Executive Director

Ms. Kathleen Sarsfield

Main address

12000 Goodwood Blvd Ste 107

Baton Rouge, LA 70815 USA

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EIN

46-1149306

NTEE code info

Single Organization Support (B11)

Primary/Elementary Schools (B24)

Secondary/High School (B25)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

K-12 Scholastic Chess

The goals of the Foundation’s K-12 Scholastic Chess Initiative are to: 1.Create a program that helps students learn the game and be motivated to stay involved throughout their school careers 2.Use the lessons of chess to engage students in learning, as well as help them see the parallel lessons for life

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

STEMup Baton Rouge impacts middle school students by providing business and industry mentors focusing on STEM careers using high-impact mentoring model. The goal is to increase the number of students who ultimately enter and remain in STEM careers.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

The Foundation supports the development of robotics programs at all grade levels within East Baton Rouge Parish School System.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Maker Spaces in elementary school libraries provide centers that allow students to nurture problem solving skills and encourage creativity.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

BR STEM works to increase the number of students graduating from high school possessing requisite STEM skills and knowledge to be postsecondary education-ready and to be competitive for 21st century workplace. Our collaborative approach increases student access to a continuum of STEM-rich learning experiences through the use of these strategies:

Coordinating - A common agenda for increasing and measuring high-impact STEM learning
Connecting - Educators with cross-sector partners and support
Securing funding - To scale innovative practices and events
Communicating – Opportunities, best practice, and policy

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Adults

Where we work

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The Foundation encourages integrated approaches to learning that guide students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers and exemplary citizens. In partnership with community stakeholders in both private and public sectors, and with input from professional educators, academic research, local parents and students alike, we seek measurable gains in three critical areas: student achievement; community involvement; and the support of innovative and effective teaching.

The goals of the Foundation are to:
1.   Promote successful practices that support academic excellence and the development of 21st century workforce skills for students, with an emphasis in strengthening the science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) skills of students.
2.   Increase the number of technology-rich and workplace relevant experiences for students.
3.   Increase opportunities for teachers and principals to obtain progressive and effective professional training and skills, while growing the quantity and quality of STEAM educators.
4.    Provide a range of opportunities for the community to invest in its future through education.

The Foundation for East Baton Rouge School System is a tax-exempt public charity and grant-making organization that provides vital support to area students, teachers, and school administrators by building effective partnerships and funding high-impact projects for which tax dollars are not available.

The STEM Connection
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (known as the STEM fields) inform and improve nearly every aspect of our society, making these skills necessary for all students regardless their later career choices. As our region's information-driven economy develops, business and civic leaders report growing demand for STEM-trained employees across a spectrum of rewarding, high-wage occupations.

In addition to providing grant support for STEM programs system-wide, the Foundation for EBRSS is proud to advance its own unique approaches to STEM education, STEMup Baton Rouge: A Mentoring Program.
Lack of a STEM “identity" is one reason young people don't pursue technical fields. We believe that middle school mentoring by field professionals can play a major role in nurturing a STEM identity early on, thus increasing students' chances of graduating from high school prepared for success in college and career in Louisiana's growing knowledge economy.

SEAPERCH Marine Robotics Program
Robotics programs engage students in the practical applications of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Students in upper elementary through high school work in small collaborative groups on progressively challenging robot building and programming projects. The robots are entered into local, regional and national competitions with an emphasis on engineering and underwater remote sensing capabilities.

The Chess Initiative
As a game of strategy, chess has been proven to teach students to focus, think critically and creatively and to apply math and logic to solve problems. In partnership with the United States Chess Federation and local chess clubs, the Foundation's Chess initiative is designed to introduce and expand K-12 Scholastic Chess programs in all East Baton Rouge Parish School System's elementary, middle and high schools.

The Distinguished Speaker Series
Since 2011, The Distinguished Speaker series has hosted notable authors, scholars, researchers and practitioners with expertise in early childhood issues to speak to local educators, education stakeholders, policy makers, parents and the community. In collaboration with The Academic Distinction Fund, early education topics will now alternate with topics on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).

STEAM Professional Development Initiative
The addition of art to the science, technology, engineering and math creates STEAM, a modified approach with proven benefits in developing creativity and logic skills within the classic STEM curriculum. The Middle School STEAM Professional Development Initiative provides year-round professional development focused on science content, leadership strategies, and collaboration with local universities, scientific institutions and businesses.

The Foundation for EBR Schools works closely with all stakeholders (teachers, principals, administrators, and parents, as well as the business community) to understand and address the most pressing, unmet needs of the local public schools. With the generous help of individuals, private organizations and corporations, the Foundation supports a variety of programs, specifically targeting the development of skills and knowledge in science, technology, engineering, art and math.

Kim Fossey leads the organization's programmatic efforts to bring STEM opportunities to students. Fossey, an educator for almost 40 years, has dedicated her career to increasing deeper and more engaged learning by students and broadening access to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for students not represented in STEM fields today, such as students from low-socioeconomic households, youth of color, and girls.

Seeking to promote successful practices that support academic excellence and the development of 21st century workforce skills for students, with an emphasis in strengthening the science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) skills of students. the Foundation has partnered with Academic Distinction Fund to bring high-quality speakers on STEM to the community. This series provides opportunities for the engagement of educators, administrators, business and community leaders as well as parents. The Foundation also hosts professional chess training from the United States Chess Federation annually for teachers. The teachers are then encouraged to implement chess in the classroom as well as competitive chess clubs for students. In two years the Foundation has hosted summer training institutes annually which have trained more than 100 teachers. Weekend tournaments have grown to host more than 150 students from 32 schools int he region.

STEMup Baton Rouge, middle school mentoring program has provided technology-rich and workplace relevant experiences for middle school students. In the first two years of implementation the program has implemented seven-week middle school mentoring program with 952 students at 12 middle schools. 278 adult mentors have led these mentoring sessions. The volunteer mentor teams represent various industries. 89% of students in mentoring program surveyed report increase interest in pursuing STEM-related career. 98% of volunteer mentors report satisfaction with their mentoring experience.

Robotics continues to show growth and impact. There are now four high school and eight middle school programs with robotics programs in the classrooms and afterschool clubs. Almost 700 students participate in robotics. The Sea Perch Underwater Robotics program led four teams from the school district to the regional challenge hosted by LSU.

Financials

FOUNDATION FOR EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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FOUNDATION FOR EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM

Board of directors
as of 02/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Mr. Stephen Loy

Louisiana Technology Park

Term: 2019 - 2021


Board co-chair

Mrs. Beth O'Quinn

IBM

Term: 2019 - 2021

Jason Fritsche

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Mary Kay Carleton

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Tim Barfield

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Stephanie Cargile

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Renee Chatelain

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Christina Davis

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Stacey Emick-Howell

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Jamey Firnberg

School Aids

Robyn Merrick

Southern University

Patrick Olinde

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Freddie Pitcher Jr.

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Monique Scott-Spaulding

Jani-King

Ann Trappey

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Padma Vatsavai

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Sarah Walsh

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Stephanie Riegel

Baton Rouge Business Report

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/10/2021

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 02/10/2021

GuideStar 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

Policies and processes
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.