Employability
College degree attainment and skill trade opportunities are regarded as a primary solution to reduce poverty and close wealth gaps.
Northwest Arkansas is in dire need of more skilled-trades workers, particularly plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and general construction workers, due primarily to the “aging out” of current workers in these trades.
Navigating the college and scholarship applications is a daunting process. Higher education is a mobility-enhancing vehicle, and the barriers to accessing that education are genuine.
Gifts are invested in the FPEF endowment. The endowment's principal is never spent; only the income is used to support the Early Learning Fund, guaranteeing that teachers and students will reap the value of your gift in perpetuity. The Early Learning Fund will be distributed annually to support a number of activities such as:
professional success
Ensure students gain work experience through internships, mentorships, and in school project-based learning to increase skilled labor in Northwest Arkansas. Provide access for need-based stipends to equip students with necessary tools, fees, and licenses to lift the financial burden as they face enter the workforce.
higher education
Arm students across the economic spectrum with skills and information to directly impact college attainment and affordability through programs that provide a successful plan to navigate financial assistance and enrollment, waivers for SAT/ACT prep, assistance with essay writing, interviewing, and letters of recommendation for college admission.