TFI’s Third Decade Begins with Gratitude: This notable milestone is backed with the support of a national foundation!

Charlotte, NC, April 2024 — The Teaching Fellows Institute (TFI) is thrilled to announce that teachers in Mecklenburg County NC, and beyond will be inspired to stay in K-12 education thanks to a $100,000 grant to the TFI Independent School Consortium (TISC) from the EE Ford Foundation (EEF) to help provide high-quality experiences for this community of outstanding educators. This is in line with the EE Ford Foundation’s mission to “support projects that have the potential to influence secondary education broadly and positively in our democratic society.”

This collaborative grant is designed “…to help the work of TFI grow and to achieve greater revenue stability,” said John Gulla, Executive Director of EEF.

“We are grateful for this incredible gift,” said Ariana Shahinfar, board chair of TFI and UNCC professor (Department of Psychology). “With a founding commitment in 2004 from the McColl Family Foundation and other generous donors, TFI has engaged, honored, and inspired over 450 of Mecklenburg County’s outstanding CMS and independent school teachers from over 100 CMS and over a dozen independent schools, this generous gift from EE Ford provides TFI and the TISC time to achieve financial strength for its third decade of impact, so area educators are more likely to remain in K-12 education.”

About the Teaching Fellows Institute: The purpose of the Teaching Fellows Institute is to recognize and honor the Charlotte area’s outstanding teachers and to provide opportunities that further develop their leadership and professional expertise to promote the engaged retention of these effective educators.

About the TFI Independent School Consortium (TISC): Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte Latin School, and Providence Day School have supported TFI since its beginnings in 2005. These schools comprise the TISC consortium.

About the EE Ford Foundation: The Edward E. Ford Foundation seeks to improve secondary education by supporting U.S. independent schools and encouraging promising practices. Additionally, they may make larger, multi-year Collaborative Innovation Grants in support of projects that have the potential to influence secondary education more broadly and positively affect our democratic society. Beyond grant-making, they share what they learn, sponsor strategic meetings, and work with others to identify and respond to the most pressing challenges facing the field of secondary education, more broadly.