Doris E. Schwartz Education Fund

Doris E. Schwartz Education Fund

Overview: Created in 2013 from the estate of Doris E. Schwartz, a former West York teacher and flight attendant. Established to foster innovation in education and provide scholarship support.

Fund Size: $3.4 million endowment

Geographic Scope: York County, Pennsylvania (13 school districts)

Mission: Raise the bar for education in York County by helping York County public school teachers meaningfully increase their capacity to lead. Also provides scholarship support to graduating seniors.

What They Fund:

Innovation Lab Grants

• Create forums for teachers to work together across school districts
• Teacher-student teams design and execute innovative solutions to real-world problems
• Cross-district collaboration on educational innovation
• Projects must be nominated by districts and go through application process
• Teams present results to peers and impacted communities

Scholarships

• Scholarships to graduating seniors from 13 York County school districts
• $52,000 per year in scholarships (2015-2016)

Grant Examples:

Lincoln Intermediate Unit (LIU) 12: $100,000 per year for 2 years to create Innovation Lab

Donor Background:

Doris E. Schwartz (1913-2013): Former educator and flight attendant

Nearly a century old at death

Extensive world travel influenced her commitment to education

Inspired by personal educational achievements amplified by world experiences

Sought to inspire locals to "think bigger"

Administration:

Created under direction of executors Nancy L. Frey and Kenneth R. Smith

Attorney: John Stitt

Contact Information:

York County Community Foundation

Phone: (717) 848-3733

Address: 14 West Market Street, York, PA 17401

Hanover Office: (717) 630-1843