The Reach

On The Reach blog, we highlight individuals and organizations from MFF’s network who are tackling some of today’s biggest challenges. In our bimonthly newsletter, also called The Reach, we share these posts and other resources in order to create an ongoing conversation with our readers. Check out our email campaign archive here and subscribe below to keep up with our latest news.

Olivia Muenz 10/5/24 Olivia Muenz 10/5/24

A Lesson from Corporate America: Investing in Teachers Can Transform Education

In her forthcoming book The Win-Win Workplace: How Thriving Employees Drive Bottom-Line Success, Angela Jackson shows that investing in talent is the key to mutual success between employees and employers. This also holds true for education.

Kelsey Thompson 9/6/23 Kelsey Thompson 9/6/23

Students spark hope through classroom innovation

Brain Copes has taught construction and manufacturing for more than 25 years. His students travel the world creating solutions to local needs.

Kelsey Thompson 6/7/23 Kelsey Thompson 6/7/23

Early physics education has the power to shape future STEM leaders

The idea behind Physics in a Box is simple: bring a proven, classical physics curriculum to US classrooms, but with a unique, hands-on approach. MFF is providing funding to help prove outcomes.

Kelsey Thompson 1/25/23 Kelsey Thompson 1/25/23

Meet Nitzan Pelman: A three-time social entrepreneur reimagining education

Nitzan Pelman taught herself to read and write in her early twenties, with a mentor and friend who truly believed in her. Now she’s CEO of Climb Hire.

Kelsey Thompson 10/26/22 Kelsey Thompson 10/26/22

Mentorship and Meaning: A conversation with the Earl Woods Scholar Program

About once a month, Glenn Osako, 53, and Matthew Kim, 19, meet up and do something new together. Each of their excursions have a greater purpose—mentorship.

Kelsey Thompson 8/10/22 Kelsey Thompson 8/10/22

The power of lived experience

After leaving prison, Sean Pica helped found Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, an MFF partner organization.

Barbara Brooks 6/20/22 Barbara Brooks 6/20/22

Community change through collective giving

Impact100’s support for the local nonprofit Project Lift has been transformative for helping improve the lives of at-risk teens and their families.

Kelsey Thompson 6/6/22 Kelsey Thompson 6/6/22

Education is at our core

In 2021, roughly 35 percent of Morgridge Family Foundation grants went to education-focused organizations – the highest percentage of any focus area. Since our founding in 2008, 57 percent of all MFF grants have supported education directly.

Contributor 3/14/22 Contributor 3/14/22

Early exposure to the arts helps students excel in school and in life

Students involved in the arts are 4x more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and 3x more likely to win an award for attendance.

Kelsey Thompson 12/29/21 Kelsey Thompson 12/29/21

Fostering potential with Epic Scholars

Epic Scholars at Metropolitan State University in Denver receive a wide range of services, from financial and academic help to emotional support and mentorship.

Kelsey Thompson 8/1/21 Kelsey Thompson 8/1/21

ProFellow: An inside look at the MAP Fellowship experience

MAP Mentor Dani Hedlund sat down with our friends at ProFellow to talk about what inspired her to participate and what she gained from the experience.

Contributor 12/28/20 Contributor 12/28/20

MAP Reflections: Navigating the unknown with Jessi Parra

Jessi Parra reflects on her time as a MAP Fellow, learning that the challenges in a business setting were different than those in a school.

Contributor 7/16/20 Contributor 7/16/20

Meet Generation Give

In 2019 thre teenagers launched a youth philanthropy initiative was Queenstown, New Zealand. Learn more here from contributor Beatrice Onion.

Contributor 6/19/20 Contributor 6/19/20

Opinion: COVID-19 expedites changes in the future of education and work

This piece by Rebecca Taber Staehelin & Connor Diemand-Yauman, Co-CEOs of Merit America, was originally featured in the Virginia Economic Review.

Contributor 12/9/19 Contributor 12/9/19

MFF’s Student Support Foundation: Sparking Change, Inspiring Impact

One SSF club president wrote: “Not only does SSF provide tangible improvements to the community, it enhances a student’s academic understanding of issues being studied.”