Seeding Success Collaboration Wins $15 Million Grant from the U.S. Department of Education
The grant will be distributed across five years and fund the Shelby County Community Schools Partnership
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, January 19, 2023 – Seeding Success, a nonprofit organization working to advance social and economic mobility in Shelby County, is among the local recipients of a $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds, along with $15M in matching and in-kind dollars, were awarded to the Shelby County Community Schools Partnership (SCCSP) from the U.S. Department of Education’s Full-Service Community Schools Program (FSCS). The SCCSP is a collaboration between Seeding Success, Memphis Shelby County Schools, Communities In Schools of Memphis, Memphis Business Academy, Millington Municipal School District, Frayser Community Schools, and the University of Memphis.
This grant will launch and sustain the community school model, an evidence-based approach that positions neighborhood schools as a base for providing resources for students and families in the community. “This is a true game-changer not only for the schools that will be the first to implement this strategy but serves as a much needed resource for families and communities,” said Dr. Lori Phillips, Chief of Family and Community Affairs for MSCS. “Schools are a true staple and a valuable resource for all community stakeholders that are in need of services but also those that can provide services. This strategy exemplifies the beauty of what can happen through strong school-community-and family partnerships.”
“We rely on community partners to help design, build, manage, and sustain systems of opportunity,” said Seeding Success Chief Strategy and Impact Officer Jamilica Burke. “Over the last 3 years, leaders across districts and nonprofit partners, recognizing that our students come to school faced by incredible challenges, have worked on building out this highly impactful model in Shelby County. Through this strategy, we will be able to more effectively coordinate services and better connect families and communities to needed resources.”
Funds will be distributed over five years, and the investment will support improved outcomes in Frayser, North Memphis, and Millington Schools. Approximately 3,400 families and students annually will benefit from this partnership. The partnership believes this is a model that can be scaled across the County to help transform the education system. Politically, this strategy is gaining momentum nationally and locally, and with the Federal Dept of Education, which recently doubled its investment in the FSCS to $150M in the recent spending bill. Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) was instrumental in supporting this grant.
Schools included in the SCCSP and U.S. Department of Education grant include Northaven Elementary School, Westside Middle School, Memphis Business Academy, Millington Primary School, Millington Intermediate School, and Millington High School. The Center for Research in Educational Policy (CREP) at the University of Memphis is conducting the independent external evaluation for the SCCSP. Led by Dr. Todd Zoblotsky and Dr. Carolyn Kaldon, CREP’s evaluation efforts throughout the five-year award period will determine the outcomes of this program and if it should be scaled to more schools in the future.
About Seeding Success
Seeding Success works to improve outcomes for all children in Memphis and Shelby County from cradle to career by improving how institutions, community organizations, policies, and resources work together to support our community. Learn more at seeding-success.org.
Contact: Lisa Williams | lisa@seeding-success.org