Giving to Education

The Many Benefits of Giving to Education

While there are many excellent public schools in the United States, the process of preparing for — and attending — a higher education institution is often expensive and highly competitive.

Our partner, Kweller Prep, begins preparing students for achievement in education starting at the kindergarten level and continuing through postgraduate education. The cost of leading one student through years of tutoring, training, mentoring, and preparation can reach well into the thousands. Your generous donations allow us to give the gift of education to more deserving students in New York City.

Giving to education is akin to providing a continually renewable gift. Beyond its immediate benefits for both donor and recipient, a donation to the First in Family Fund sets students on a lifetime path to success.

Benefits of Giving to Education

The Global Partnership for Education reports that the benefits of education include increased earnings, better childhood literacy for the children of educated parents, and a decreased likelihood of poverty.

There are many beneficial ways that you can give to education. Some individuals choose to pay for the tuition, books, or other schooling fees incurred by relatives or members of their communities directly. Others want to provide regular donations of classroom supplies to children and local teachers. According to the National Education Association, 94% of teachers often buy these items out of their own pockets.

Yet another option is to give a financial gift directly to an educational institution or to a charitable organization that supports education access. Your monetary donation to a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit like the First in Family Fund can often be itemized on tax deductions. This deduction provides a personal financial benefit in addition to the satisfaction of supporting students’ educations.

Education in New York City

While we often think of giving to education as being important in other countries without a nationally developed public school system, these gifts are essential at home as well.

According to statistics from Education Week, there are approximately 16 students for every teacher in our country’s public schools. However, in some New York City public schools, the ratio can increase to 20 or more students for every teacher. New York City’s school system is unique in that it includes nine specialized high schools for students who excel in different subject areas. Eight of these schools require scoring well on NYC’s SHSAT exam — the ninth school is audition-based. Students may only apply to enter these schools while they are in the eighth grade, so proper preparation is essential. It can influence the entirety of their remaining education through high school and beyond.

How Your Donation Helps

Your donations to First in Family Fund go directly toward providing essential preparation services for rising high school students in New York City, as well as current high school students preparing for college. Through courses at Kweller Prep, First in Family Fund scholarship recipients can receive training for the SHAT exams, LaGuardia High School auditions, the Regents’ exam, SAT, ACT and more.

For additional information about the ways that your generous donation can support education in New York City, please see our donations page or contact us today.