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DPSF is sponsoring rising 8th grade and high school DPS students to attend a two-day racial equity training for Durham youth on July 30-31st. Students who participate in the racial equity training will also be invited to apply for DPSF’s Youth Advisory Council.  

Durham-based musician Hiss Golden Messenger has added $1 to each ticket of his new tour to go directly to the Durham Public Schools Foundation!

The DPS Foundation is excited to announce that Capitol Broadcasting, CT Wilson Construction and Rho Inc. are making multi-year funding commitments that will go toward innovative and equitable strategies across Durham Public Schools.

The DPS Foundation has a new home at Provident 1898! We’re so proud to be doing this work for community-led transformation of our public schools in this space that holds such an important place in Durham’s history and making this the city we love today. 

As a senior and the president of GSA, Batten-Hicks applied for a grant from the recently launched Durham Public Schools Foundation. She received $500 from the Foundation to carry out a mural project at Hillside High that will depict the life and successes of activist Pauli Murray, a 1926 Hillside alumna.

Just 5 months after launching the DPS Foundation is thrilled to announce our first round of grants of over $55,000 to fund 19 innovative projects led by our students, educators and parents!

Shared prosperity in Durham requires each of us to commit to our public schools now
Editorial by Magan Gonzales-Smith featured in EdNC

Recommitting to public education at the state level is essential. But this commitment must start at home — right here in Durham. When we come together, our community has the power to shape the vision for the public schools our students deserve, support our district in implementing that vision, and provide local investment that will make transformative change possible.

After an extensive search and hiring process, DPSF is pleased to announce it has hired Magan Gonzales-Smith to be the organization’s Executive Director. Magan's passion for public schools and commitment to education justice is shaped by being the daughter of a first-generation college student and her decade of work with several urban school districts.

“I’m honored to serve the students, educators and families who make up Durham Public Schools in this role. My years working in Durham schools has shown me that we have brilliant students and dedicated educators and I know that when we build community support and investment in them Durham can fulfill the promise of public education for every student.”

On the first official day of their existence, I met with three representatives of the Durham Public Schools Foundation.

The Durham Public Schools (DPS) Foundation in their own words is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that unites our Durham Public School communities, public- and private- sector resources and community leaders around strategies to strengthen our Durham Public Schools.

The state isn’t providing enough money for schools, so business and community leaders say it’s time for the community to pitch in.

They have started a foundation to raise money to support the public schools.

The new Durham Public Schools Foundation, which launched during August’s convocation, lets residents send tax-deductible donations to support the school system. Foundation leaders say the money could help schools pay for expenses the state’s funds cannot cover, such as student field trips or professional development for teachers.

The DPS Foundation launched on August 22, 2018 at a convocation with 4,000 DPS educators, staff and public schools supporters!