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redefinED atlanta INVESTS MORE THAN $300,000 IN FIVE COMMUNITY NONPROFITS SERVING THE NEEDS OF ATLANTA’S STUDENTS AND FAMILIES

ATLANTA – (Feb. 18, 2021) – redefinED atlanta, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that every student in Atlanta has the opportunity to attend a great public school, today announced that it is awarding $315,000 to five Atlanta-based organizations that are supporting the education needs of Black, Latinx and other under-resourced students and families in Metro Atlanta. The five organizations are: EdConnect, Fathers Incorporated, Goodie Nation, Next Generation Men & Women, and TeachX.

 “We believe that the communities most impacted by inequity in Atlanta Public Schools know what they need most to address their challenges and create lasting change,” said Ed Chang, executive director of redefinED atlanta. “The five organizations we’ve granted are engaged in neighborhoods across the city and metro Atlanta and currently doing the critical work of filling in education gaps in schools and communities, so we know that this funding will only deepen their impact.”

Since 2017, redefinED atlanta has contributed more than $3.3 million in support of community organizations that prioritize working with students and families in Atlanta’s under-resourced areas. redefinED atlanta’s investments reflect the organization’s values of community, equity, diversity, integrity, excellence and sustainability. This year’s community impact grants recipients uphold these values while also providing innovative solutions to widespread problems influencing the success of Atlanta’s most vulnerable students.

EdConnect, a non-profit that informs African American families living in low-income and working-class communities of their K-12 educational options across Metro Atlanta, was awarded funding to continue its coalition building work. EdConnect engages families in advocacy to enhance and expand high-quality education options that empower youth and successfully prepare them for college completion. 

Fathers Incorporated (FI), a national non-profit organization focused on improving father engagement in the lives of their children, was provided funds to sustain its Drive to Five/Real Dads Read program and the Atlanta Fatherhood Network (AFN), to further engage fathers in their work. Through the Drive to Five/Real Dads Read program, the organization has connected with thousands of fathers and distributed over 5,000 books to low-income families through 80+ literacy centers throughout Metro Atlanta. FI stays connected to its dads through AFN by offering parent education, life skills and financial education classes. 

Goodie Nation’s mission is to train all people to use innovation in an effort to build and launch scalable social impact tech startups, open source tools, and digital marketing campaigns that reduce basic need disparities in education, financial access, health, and safety. The grant from redefinED atlanta will support the organization’s Goodie Impact, Goodie Impact College, and Goodie Impact K-12 programs. 

Next Generation Men & Women (Next Gen), an organization that closes the opportunity gap for high school students by creating a path to graduation and success after high school through exposure to college, career options and support, is receiving funds to continue its work with under-resourced (Title I) high schools. Next Gen creates student cohorts, led by teachers and mentored by college undergraduates, to connect student interests to the world, visit local colleges and companies, and execute a plan for success after high-school — college and career.

TeachX provides K-12 teachers in underserved schools vital training and technology to prepare students with 21st century skills for the future workforce. The organization has been awarded a grant to develop video content for its Innovation Hub’s green room, called Discovery Labs, and to host one-to-one virtual, and as needed, in-person, learning sessions for educators.

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About redefinED atlanta:

redefinED atlanta is a growing collective of civic leaders and philanthropists passionate about and invested in transforming Atlanta into a place where every student in every community has the opportunity to attend a high-quality public school. For more information on redefinED atlanta, please visit www.redefinEDatlanta.org.

 Media Contact:

Sonia Fuller 

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