Carl and Leah McConnell cared deeply about the children and youth of their communities, and supported with their personal wealth many organizations that help our region’s young people. And since its inception, the Foundation has also invested significantly in the children and youth of Northern California; from 1989 to 2001, the Foundation awarded over $5.5 million in school and education-related grants.
Since 2001, the Foundation has focused on addressing all needs surrounding our region’s children and youth in recognition that school performance and readiness is affected by a child’s nutrition, activity and health, and that our communities have needs and aspirations that may not directly involve education, but have an impact on the development and education of children and youth. The Foundation has since invested more than $15 million through its Children, Youth, and Education grant program. These grants have addressed a broad range of issues and needs in our region, including:
- Studies for small school district unification
- Development of a regional, multi-partner college and career opportunity and outreach program
- Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) education
- Classical music development for children
- Teen and youth development center in a rural health clinic
- Comprehensive support for increasing post-secondary education opportunities for area youth
- Developmental asset-approached work for area youth
- Support for public university programs in cooperation with local community colleges
- Early childhood literacy development with a book lending program
- Support for regional college-going culture activities
- Scholarships for local students to participate in field studies around the world
- Early childhood STEAM and environmental education
- Support for distance learning opportunities
- Support for a county-wide kindergarten-readiness assessment
- Development of a multi-faceted approach to combat childhood obesity
- Support for expanding innovative pre-K to Kindergarten transition program
Note to Colleagues and Grantseekers
The McConnell Foundation does not accept applications for Children, Youth, and Education grants. However, we appreciate collegial exchanges of knowledge, lessons learned, and being apprised of children, youth, and education work other funders are doing in our region. If you are funding Children, Youth, and Education work in Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity counties and have an interest in communicating with us, please contact Kelly Salter at (530) 226-6232 or by using the email contact form.
