The Genesis Foundation is a non profit organization that gives education to disadvantaged children. Genesis accomplishes its mission by providing grants to nonprofit organizations in Colombia, and in Latino communities of New York, DC and Florida that are addressing the education needs of these children.

Background

The Genesis Foundation was established in 2001 by a group of Colombians and Americans that wanted to give back to the communities that allowed them to succeed. They decided to focus on education because of their belief that education is the building block for economic and social progress.

Purpose

Genesis will continue to work as long as there are children in Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

or in Latino communities in the US who do not have access to a quality education.

Educational Challenge in Colombia:

• More than one million children do not attend school
• 1 out of 2 Colombians in school today will not graduate from high school
• 7 out of 100 Colombians do not know how to read or write
• 14% of children suffer from malnutrition

Educational Challenges for Latinos in the US :

• Hispanic are twice as likely to drop out of school before their high school graduation
• Many are struggling to learn English
• Latinos perform 10% below the average population in reading and math tests

Methods

Annually, Genesis awards at least $1 million dollars in grants to non-profit organizations that provide education services to children up to 18 years old; 80% to nonprofits in Colombia and 20% in the US – benefiting more than 35,000 children per year.

Genesis grants range between $15,000 and $200,000. Genesis provides funding for general operations, programs, capacity building and/or infrastructure to organizations that operate/provide:

• Schools
• Preschools
• Education Projects - projects that aim to improve curricula, academic models, etc.
• Complementary Services - programs that complement education and improve students ability to learn (i.e. Health initiatives, nutrition, vocational training, school reinforcement, parents role as eductors, career development)