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“Research shows that supporting early learning is the best investment we can make –providing a return of as much as $17 for every $1 invested.”
-theirworld.org
A Letter from our Executive Director
Dear Supporters and Friends,
As we reflect on the past year, I am filled with immense gratitude. This year marked our 10th anniversary, a significant milestone in our journey to provide quality education to children in need.
We hosted our 10th Anniversary Gala, our first inperson event since the pandemic, which raised nearly $200,000 and brought our community together. We also resumed visits to our partner schools, including a life-changing trip to Honduras. Witnessing the positive impact of our work firsthand was both inspiring and reaffirming.
Financially, this year has been unprecedented for Brighter Children. We saw a nearly 40% increase in revenue. This remarkable growth underscores the return on our recent infrastructure investments, which will enable us to expand our programs, reach more children, and make an even greater impact. 2
Right now, over 260 million children worldwide are not in school. If no action is taken, half of all young people across the world, more than 800 million in total, will by 2030 not have the basic skills necessary for the workforce. Our work is more crucial than ever.
Your contributions are changing lives and reshaping the future. Together, we are making a difference, and I am excited to see what we can achieve in the year to come.
Thank you for being a vital part of Brighter Children. Your support and belief in our mission continue to drive us forward.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Katie Hurley Wales Executive Director
A Word from our Board Chair
Looking back on FY24, we are pleased with the achievements at Brighter Children. While we did not achieve our revenue goals for the year, we did exceed the prior year and raised more than in any year in our history. That is entirely due to the outstanding efforts of our team, and most importantly, you, our donors. In the challenging economic conditions that we all face today, your support of our mission is inspirational.
While we can be happy with our progress, we are never satisfied. The reality is that for every child we reach, there are many more who need our help. As I write, our School Committee is working tirelessly to identify new partner schools, and we hope to have news to share soon.
As we commence upon our second decade, we will continue to set lofty goals, to invest in the
growth of our organization, to identify new channels of support, and to rely upon your continued commitment. Together, I know we can achieve even greater things.
It has been my honor and privilege serving Brighter Children as Board Chair for the last 5 years. As my term comes to a close, I welcome Joe Hanssen as your new Chair. I know that Joe, together with Marcus Yoder as Vice Chair, will provide excellent leadership and guidance as the organization continues to grow.
In gratitude,
Ian Swanson Outgoing Board Chair
Brighter Children is pleased to introduce our new Board Chair, Joe Hanssen, and our new Vice Chair, Marcus Yoder. They have already dedicated years of service to our Boards and we know the future will be bright with these two leading the way.
Joe Hanssen Board Chair
Marcus Yoder Vice Chair
Our Purpose
W H O W E A R E
At Brighter Children, we believe in a world where every child has access to quality early education. Our mission is to identify and support education entrepreneurs who provide quality education to vulnerable children in some of the most impoverished communities in the world.
W H A T W E D O
We find and fund schools led by passionate leaders who are reimagining a world in which all children have access to quality primary education. We provide the students at these schools, many of whom are at-risk of dropping out, with annual scholarships. On average, it costs $400/year to sponsor the education of a child whose family often has less disposable income than that.
H O W W E W O R K
We undergo a thorough diligence process to identify and screen entrepreneurs who are leading highpotential school systems and have years of experience delivering quality education with support from their local community. Our team works closely with our partner schools to ensure that every dollar is accounted for. 100% of all public donations are used to sponsor the education of vulnerable children.
Our Vision for the Future
Our development model combines the principles of venture capital with charitable giving to drive holistic, sustainable and scalable impact. As a venture philanthropy firm, we use the donations we receive to support education entrepreneurs who are helping us co-create a world our hearts know is possible.
V E N T U R E P H I L A N T H R O P Y
No single organization can solve complex social problems on its own. That’s why we invest in a portfolio of diverse education entrepreneurs who are advancing on-the-ground results in their local communities. Instead of treating charities like charity cases, we treat them as businesses - helping them scale, become more efficient, and deliver a better Return on Investment (ROI).
S
We identify education leaders with organizations creating scalable positive impact. We strongly believe that these entrepreneurs have charted a path to fundamentally transform the lives of out-of-school children in impoverished communities and choose to invest at their inflection point towards scale.
M U L T I - Y E A R S U P P O R T
These organizations need to spend their time and resources growing, not fundraising. Ongoing support provides short-term and long-term financial stability and flexibility and allows schools to deliver quality education, targeting 100% attendance and graduation rates.
A D V I S O R Y S U P P O R T
Our advisory support is geared towards building the capacity and resources of the education entrepreneurs that run our partner schools and their ability to make strategic choices as they navigate change and growth in the education space.
S T A G E
We focus on organizations typically too early-stage to attract large donors or foundation grants. Our investment allows partner schools to scale and ultimately secure a path to sustainable funding.
Our Impact
Our Impact
W H Y E D U C A T I O N ?
Education is the single most important factor in determining a child’s life outcome. Without it, children face considerable barriers to employment and earning potential later in life. They are more likely to suffer adverse health issues and less likely to participate in decisions that affect them – threatening their ability to shape a better future for themselves and their societies.
W H Y P R I M A R Y E D U C A T I O N ?
Primary education is the foundation of a child’s journey and the bedrock of their development. It is in primary school that children learn foundational skills that prepare them for life, work and active citizenship.
W H Y V E N T U R E
P H I L A N T H R O
P Y ?
Our unique model drives holistic, sustainable and scalable impact. Our investment and multi-year support provides short-term and long-term financial stability that allows our partner schools to grow and become more efficient while delivering quality education to their students.
Since 2013, Brighter Children has funded almost 5.8 million hours of education for 5,750 children.
6 Partner Schools (2 successful exits)
591
Students Currently Sponsored
798K Education Hours Delivered
158K Sponsored Meals Provided 100% Sponsored Student Pass Rate
1.6K
1% Enrollment Growth Rate
Standardized Tests Administered 95%
Overall Student Attendance Rate
*These numbers represent the 2023-2024 academic year.
$400
Average Amount to Sponsor a Child’s Education Per Year
School Visit Spotlight
School Visit Spotlight
In January 2024, a small group from Brighter Children had the opportunity to visit One Thousand School’s Villa Soleada Escuela Bilingue, our partner school in El Progreso, Honduras.
During our visit, we spent time in the classrooms with the children we support. They taught us to dance the salsa, play soccer and prepare baleadas, their native dish. Together, we sang songs, read books, built sand castles, and made beautiful art.
Our visit doubled our commitment to our mission. We saw firsthand that access to quality education can be the difference between a life of destitution and the pathway out. Every child has the right to that pathway and it was incredible to see the world of opportunity that One Thousand Schools opens up for the children of Honduras.
If you are interested in joining us for a school visit, contact our Executive Director at katie@brighterchildren.org
One Thousand Schools
Villa Soleada Bilingual School
El Progreso, Honduras
Brighter Children currently sponsors 150 students at the Villa Soleada Bilingual School.
Shin Fujiyama, Founder | One Thousand Schools
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
• After his first visit to Honduras as a college student, Shin was deeply moved by the struggles of the village of Villa Soleada. In 2007, Shin and his sister made the bold decision to move to Honduras to create what is now a thriving organization.
• Today, Shin and his team strive to build 1,000 schools across the country, transforming education for countless children.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
• One Thousand Schools’ mission is to alleviate violence and extreme poverty. Honduras has a 66% poverty rate. 37% of children of secondary school age (12-16) are out of school.
• So far, they have built 67 schools, trained 120 teachers, created hundreds of jobs, constructed 44 houses, and impacted 17,558 students across Honduras.
• Villa Soleada had a 0% high school graduation rate prior to the creation of the Bilingual School. This past year, they celebrated their 3rd high school graduation!
MEET WALTER, AGE 11
In the spring of 2023, Walter and his family moved to Villa Soleada with hopes that he could attend the Bilingual School. They moved in the middle of the school year so Walter sat in on 3rd grade classes until he could enroll the next school year. When he started 4th grade, he was very reserved and could not speak any English. As the year went on, he started to excel in all areas of the classroom, including English, and his confidence had visibly and significantly increased. He is active both inside and out of the classroom and participates in school sports and clubs with his classmates. His sponsorship from Brighter Children ensures that he comes to school prepared with his uniform, books, and supplies and he gets a healthy school lunch every day. The Bilingual School staff looks forward to seeing him continue to excel this year in 5th grade.
Village Project Africa
Heritage Academy Makutano, Kenya
Brighter Children currently sponsors 200 students at the Heritage School.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
• Margaret founded Village Project Africa in 2006 with a powerful mission in mind – to work with the people of Makutano to address their needs as a community.
• Village Project Africa began with only three grades. Margaret has grown it into a community hub with two school campuses that enroll 1,000 students through 12th grade, a health clinic, a women's care ministry, and a sustainable farm.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
• The Heritage School started as a small preschool of 50 children in a mud building in 2006. Since then they have added one grade each year and after launching the Heritage Academy Junior High School in 2023, they now have Class 7 and 8.
• Nearly half of primary-age children (and 100% of the children Brighter Children sponsors) board at school due to unstable home situations, unsafe distances to walk between home and school, or food insecurity at home.
• Recently, they were able to build a computer lab and hire a computer teacher for the primary school.
MEET DUNCAN, AGE 13
When Duncan arrived at VPA, he was the youngest student ever to have lived in the dorms. Abandoned by his mother as a baby and unable to be cared for by his father, he was raised by his grandmother, who was battling terminal cancer. Knowing she didn’t have much time left, she reached out to VPA, asking them to take Duncan in. Without hesitation, VPA welcomed him. Shortly after, his grandmother passed away, leaving Duncan in the care of the VPA community. Now, nearly 10 years later, Duncan is a focused and responsible young man excelling in his studies. Recently, he expressed his gratitude to Margaret, saying, “I’m so thankful you gave me a chance when I had nowhere else to go. You’ve taken care of me for so long, and I know that a good education is key to my future.”
Margaret Lewis, Founder | Village Project Africa
Brighter Children currently sponsors 100 students at Oasis of Hope.
Oasis of Hope
Santa Marta, Colombia
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
• In 1999, David Taylor purchased several acres of land near Santa Marta, Colombia with the idea of using it to raise the quality of life for disadvantaged children in the area.
• His work started with feeding a handful of children under a tree and has grown into a robust organization that spearheads multiple projects, including the Oasis of Hope School, which accommodates over 300 students, from preschool through high school.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
• Oasis of Hope was founded with the aim of tackling poverty through education. Their vision is to serve as advocates for marginalized children, help release them from poverty, and enable them to become responsible adults and citizens.
• Since partnering with Brighter Children, the Oasis of Hope School has risen from the 44th to the 17th best school in the city. In the past year alone, they went from 20th to 17th!
• In addition to an excellent education, students enjoy activities like sewing lessons, volleyball, performing arts, and soccer on their newly turfed field.
Albert joined Oasis of Hope right before his family faced an unimaginable tragedy. The death of his father, who was tragically struck by a stray bullet during a robbery, left Albert and his family devastated. Overwhelmed by grief, Albert initially withdrew, struggling to express his emotions. But the dedicated teachers and staff at Oasis of Hope rallied around him, providing unwavering support and care. Gradually, Albert began to open up, finding comfort and encouragement from his peers and teachers. Today, two years later, he is a joyful and enthusiastic student who looks forward to school each day. As he prepares to start primary school, Albert dreams of becoming a policeman, believing that excelling in his studies and protecting others is a way to honor his late father’s memory.
David Taylor, Founder | Oasis of Hope
Jaisalmer
Rajasthan, India
Brighter Children currently supports 141 students at CITTA’s Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School.
CITTA
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
• The vision for CITTA was born during Michael’s travels to the region of Rajasthan. This region is second to last in education indicators and has one of the lowest literacy rates in India, if not the world.
• In 2022, Michael launched the GYAAN Center, which includes an award-winning girls’ school, a women’s cooperative building for local enterprise, and library facility that also houses a textile museum and performance space. The Center combines art, education, and culture to help end poverty while increasing gender equality.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
• CITTA’s Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School opened their doors to 62 students in 2022, with the support of Brighter Children. Two years later, they’ve already grown to 141 girls enrolled in Classes 1-5!
• The school provides quality education, transportation, and nutrition to the school girls of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan from belowpoverty-line families at no cost. All students are the first-time learners in their families. In this desert region, the female illiteracy rate is the highest in the country. For millions of girls, education is the only way to fight poverty, abuse, and early marriage.
MEET ZARINA, AGE 10
Zarina has defied the odds to become a trailblazer for girls' education. She comes from Lakhmano ki Basti, a region challenged by extreme poverty. While many girls in her community are married young, Zarina fought to be one of the the first to pursue schooling. Zarina quickly excelled, capturing the attention of her teachers. Her academic success had an unexpected impact at home. Zarina began tutoring her brother which led to significant improvements in his performance. This shifted her parents’ views from skepticism to advocacy for female education. And the ripple effect continued. Observing Zarina’s achievements and impact, other parents in the community began to reconsider their long held views and have begun sending their daughters to school.
Michael Daube, Founder | CITTA
Since 2013, Brighter Children has funded almost 5.8 million hours of education for 5,750 children.
Celebrating 10 years
5,000+ Student Sponsorships
4,250,000+ Hours of Education
Thanks to all who joined us in celebrating our 10th Anniversary and for sharing our vision of a world in which every child has access to quality education. In October 2023, we were joined by 150 guests at our 10th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco. Together, we raised nearly $200,000 to support our mission.
Our Family
Our Team
O U R S T A F F
Katie Hurley Wales, Executive Director
Jenna Federico, Development Manager
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ian Swanson, Chair
Kevin Bogdanov
Katie Cullen
Kunal Doshi
A D V I S O R Y B O A R D
Susan Elliott-Bocassi, Chair
Krishna Desai
Jeff Chamberlain
Heather Guntrum
Marleen Dekker Hansum
Tom Hinkley
John Leggett
Mahesh Shah, Vice Chair
Zein Haikal
Joe Hanssen
Suzy Peng
Shawn Small
Marcus Yoder
Sue Beckett, Vice Chair
Nathalie Mainland
Arkadiy Okhman
Anita Pall
Sonal Rana
Seenu Sarma
Will Schafer
Sophina Sekhon
Adam Sobol
Maneesh Subherwal
Gabrielle Tao
Wiegert Tierie
David Wright
ASSOCIATE BOARD
Julia Mattox, Chair
Ines Andrade
Adam Bhatti
Neil Dharia
Connor Hudson, Vice Chair
Emma Duke
Austin Fagrell
Abeda Iqbal
SPECIAL THANK YOU
Luis Nares
Liz Pfeifer
Ethan Realander
We’d be remiss to not recognize the incredible people who will be rolling off of our Boards after years of service and dedication to Brighter Children and the children we serve. Thank you for all that you’ve done to propel Brighter Children to where we are today. We could not have done it without each one of you.
Kevin Bogdanov 9 years
Heather Guntrum 3 years
Suzy Peng 11 years
Will Schafer 3 years
Mahesh Shah 5 years
Shawn Small 7 years
"Our donors help us to create generational change, not just in the lives of the students we support, but also for their families and communities."
-Kunal Doshi, Founder, Brighter
Children
Transparency Model: Choose Your Impact
You can directly invest in this fund to sponsor a child’s education including tuition, school supplies, a daily meal and basic healthcare.
You can directly invest in this fund to support our most pressing needs which can vary from operating costs to sending vulnerable children to school.
Funds
Private Funds
2023-2024 Cash Flow
Cash position from July 1st, 2023 to June 30th, 2024
$800K
$600K
Our Champions
A Special Thanks To…
The Founders Society
The Founders Society is composed of philanthropists who lead by example to inspire others through their generous unrestricted giving and who are committed to accelerating Brighter Children’s global impact. These members are more than donors, they participate and play a critical role in the organization.
Why Founders Society?
Enable: The annual investments made by Founders Society members allow Brighter Children to increase organizational capacity, impact and scale.
Advise: Engage directly with the leaders of our organization and offer them perspective and guidance.
Lead: Analyze the present needs of the organization and drive growth by insight on key strategic decisions.
Engage: Join us on trips to partner schools in Colombia, Honduras, India, and Kenya. Build relationships with like-minded business and philanthropic leaders at meetings and events throughout the year.
Thank you to our dedicated Founder Society members:
Raminder Bajwa
Glenn Clark
Lisa Clark
Rob Schultz
Mala Jairam
Thomas Labarthe
Glen Lally
Hetal Pandya
Nicky Rishi
Tim Robey
Barbara Spengler
Rose Swanson
If you are interested in joining our Founders Society, contact katie@brighterchildren.org for more information.
Our Gratitude
Our warmest thanks to the donors who have shown extraordinary support to Brighter Children in our fiscal year of 2024.
$ 50,000 +
Glenn and Mary Lynn Clark
Joe Hanssen
Glen Lally
John Leggett
Thomas Labarthe
Nicky Rishi and Varun Badhwar
$ 5 , 0 0 0 +
Mikael and Mansi Berner
Lisa Clark
Katie Cullen
Kunal Doshi
Zein Haikal
Hetal Pandya
Tim Robey
Srinivas Sarma $ 25,000 +
The LSEG Foundation
Robert Schultz
Marcus Yoder
Raminder Bajwa
Susan Beckett
Kevin Bogdanov
Jeff Chamberlain
Lisa Clark
Marleen Dekker-Hansum
Susan Elliott-Bocassi
Heather Guntrum
John Hurley
Jackson Family Fund
Mala Jairam
Nathalie Mainland
Radhika and Ambarish Malpani
Barbara Spengler
Maneesh Subherwal
Stolen Blanket Fund
Sonal Rana
Sophina Sekhon
Ken Siegel
Adam Sobol
Wiegert Tierie
David Wright
Mahesh and Poonam Shah
Ian and Rose Swanson
Dharma Karma Foundation
Our Gratitude
Ines Andrade
Gail Chizen
Gavin Cleary
Alex Cummins
Baldeep Dhalrwal
Riti Doshi
Kristen Flesch
Sid Geddam
Heather Gemmell and Josh Roberts
Givinga Foundation
Zachary and Rachel Grannis
Manuel Guzman
YuSun Han
Frank Hanna
M. Katherine Hurley
Clay and Janice Jackson
Adam Judd
Julia Mattox
Stephen Mong
Ross Morand
Grace Nguyen
Arkadiy Okhman
Suzy Peng
Nancy Pitarys
Nikita Shah
Whitman Shaw
Kyle Shepherd
Hilary Shirazi
Matthew Swearingen
Eric and Michelle Techel
Muthiah Venkateswaran
Katie Wales
Zhenya Yoder
Priyam Bajaj
Rakesh Bhalla
Adam Bhatti
Jennifer Chen
Laura Coleman
Rob David
Don David
Ross DiBetta
Elyse Greenblat
Jeff Hansen
Abigail Hanssen
Akshay Kothari
Lieb Family Giving Fund
Pia Mishra
Nitesh Mody
Sverna Natarajan
Chaya Pamula
Liz Pfeifer
Anna Podvalkova
Jens Rosenkrantz Jr
Shawn Small
Glenn Smith
Ilya Strebulaev
Support Organization for Kids in Need
Cameron Tanner
Salar Tanzif
Sonja Tappan
Aaron Tas
David Tibbitts
Jean-Stephane and Christine Vanelle
Alice Wissing
Ashley Wu
Karen Xu
Vinit Sukhija
Did
you know that for as little as $33/month ($400/year) you can provide a child with access to quality primary education, nutritious meals, basic health care and a safe place to live for an entire year?
Our Scholarship Club is composed of dedicated supporters who donate on a monthly recurring basis. These monthly donations provide financial stability for students and their families and our partner communities around the world.
Ravi Akireddy
Sue Beckett
Rakesh Bhalla
Adam Bhatti
Jeff Chamberlain
Mike Cokingtin
Katie Cullen
Michael DeAngelis
Ross DiBetta
Kandace Donovan
Riti Doshi
Emma Duke
Susan Elliott-Bocassi
Austin Fagrell
Sitaram Geddam
Alicia Gomez
Heather Guntrum
Terri Hornbrook
Erika Hostetler
Connor Hudson
Chris Kaminski
Gregory Laperche
Meyers Lincoln
Rachel Long
Abeda Iqbal
“When I visited our partner school in Honduras, I saw firsthand how impactful our scholarships are for the children we support. A small amount goes a very long way.”
- Sue Beckett, New York
Nathalie Mainland
Constance Manske
Julia Mattox
Manish Modani
Luis Nares
Anita Pall
Jon Parrette
Suzy Peng
Sonal Rana
Ethan Realander
Lillian Reda
Heydy Saavedra
“Brighter Children is close to my heart because the impact my support makes is directly visible. It unlocks much needed upward mobility for so many children.”
- Manish Mordani, Dubai
Seenu Sarma
Kyle Shepherd
Adam Sobol
Anna Sturkey
Maneesh Subherwal
Prerna Talreja
Audrey Thompson-Amarteifio
Ben Travis
Neeta Vargo
Rekha Vatsa
Coco Zhong
Nancy Zywiec
“After looking at my credit card bill, I realized that if I canceled the random unused subscriptions, I could redirect that money towards making a difference in a child’s life without having to readjust my budget.”
- Michael DeAngelis, Chicago
Thank You
