Dream Project receives $50,000 from Safeco and Liberty Mutual

Jenee Myers Twitchell, Dream Project director

Few undergraduates can say that they spent the end of their school year and beginning of their summer break writing grants to fund the program for which they volunteer. Fewer still can say that they have written, from start to finish, four grants and have, in fact, been awarded each and every one. But that is exactly what has happened for Megan Whitman, the Dream Project’s student leader who manages advancement and fundraising for the program.

Capping off that grant award streak this summer, the Dream Project was awarded a two-year grant from the Safeco Insurance Fund/Liberty Mutual Foundation, totalling $50,000 ($25,000 per year). The foundation supports a number of efforts, with particular emphasis on supporting low-income youth and limited English proficiency students in engaging or reengaging in school and improving academic outcomes for those populations. The Dream Project’s award aimed to support their primary goal to “expand academic opportunities for low-income and limited English-proficient (LEP) students by funding out-of-school-time educational programs, extended learning in-school programs, programs that ensure a successful transition to high school, vocational and technical training programs, and programs that emphasize and highlight the path to college success or further education.”

This funding will support our high school visits each week during which our core mentoring takes place, as well as two of our major events, Admissions Workshop Weekend and Scholarship Saturday. We are extremely thankful to Safeco Insurance Fund/Liberty Mutual Foundation for this award and glad to have them as a community partner and supporter of our work.