​History

Rashaan Foster, MABC, CNP, CNE, CDE, CNC formed Foster Grants and Giving Inc. in May 2015. As a Guidance Counselor and Administrator of a significantly underfunded, poverty-stricken, and single-parent household school, Mr. Foster desperately needed more resources to serve his students in need fully. Without the proper budget and with a lack of support, Rashaan could not stand by idly and let his students suffer. That being said, Mr. Foster decided to focus on securing funding for his school and students through grants for materials, college counseling supplies, and programs, which he achieved through effective grant writing. Rashaan Foster began providing guidance counseling services that exceeded the scope of most private school Guidance counselors. He achieved unheard-of results that saved hundreds of underserved students' lives and provided them with an opportunity to attend college and become productive citizens. He prioritized teaching underserved students of color interviewing skills, resume writing, ACT/SAT preparation, and career planning, as well as providing hours of mental health counseling to help them navigate this critical stage of their lives. His students have since received over $500,000.00 in college scholarships during his tenure. As our impact grew among lower socioeconomic students and the community, we decided as a company to partner with local nonprofits, public school districts, and community leaders to help homeless students succeed in school and provide food, clothing, and additional supplemental services. We are proud to have served over 3,000 underserved students in Central Florida.

Accomplishments

We are proud of the following accomplishments in our nine-year history:

• Partnered with legendary author Mary Pope Osborne and delivered 4,195 Magic Tree House books, valued at $30,000.00, to 25 underserved Title I schools.

• Partnered with the legendary online platform MasterClass to offer no-cost annual memberships, providing educators instructing underserved students with access to online classes taught by the best in education, arts and entertainment, writing, business, food, home and lifestyle, music, sports, and gaming, among others.

• Provided $58,000.00 worth of books to schools to establish Classroom Libraries, supporting Summer Literacy and Academic Acceleration, which impacted 3,000 students.

• Secured over $350,000,000.00 in foundation grants for nonprofits and private schools across the state, supporting low-income students.

• Provided 500 backpacks and back-to-school supplies to underserved students and schools for the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.

• Provided 500 Online Libraries to elementary, middle, and high school students, allowing them to access thousands of popular and award-winning eBook titles for free, courtesy of our partnership with Open eBooks.

• Provided $10,000.00 worth of STEM kits, materials, and teacher resources to thirteen incredible private schools that educate underserved and often forgotten students in Central Florida for summer programming.

• Delivered (75) SAT, (75) ACT, and (50) PERT Test Prep Study Guides (200 Total Books Valued at $6,000.00) to underserved high school students across Central Florida.

• Completed and delivered our 2024 Literacy, STEM, and High-Quality Materials Project, which positively impacted 966 students across seven exceptional schools and one innovative after-school STEM program. This project provided 864 Pencils, 316 Books, 120 Workbooks, 36 Erasers, 27 STEM Kits, 11 Literacy Kits, 5 PE/Recess Kits, which contain 54 Balls and 35 Games, and 1 Math School-Wide Software License to help close learning gaps and address students' academic and youth development needs.

• Partnered with Gatorland Orlando to provide underserved students with a field trip experience without requiring them to leave their campus. Four summer programs and five schools (800 students) had a chance to learn about, see, and pet a baby alligator, a bearded dragon, a rose-hued tarantula, an emperor scorpion, and a small ball python.

• Provided backpacks and supplies to four private schools for every enrolled student, impacting over 600 underserved students.

• Completed 2024 Quarter 4 STEM and Literacy Private School Supplemental Program impacting 650 students from 7 private schools from underserved communities, and delivered: 448 Culturally Appropriate Literacy Books, 35 STEM Kits, 28 Literacy Kits, 28 Literacy Workbooks for struggling reading focusing on High-Frequency Words, 35 Math Manipulative Kits, 42 Math Workbooks with over 2,000 Practice Exercises each,  and 70 Workbooks for all subject areas (Phonics, Spelling, Reading, Language Arts, Math < Algebra, Fractions, Geometry, Decimals>, Science, History, Social Science, Critical Thinking, Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Writing) with over 2,500 Practice Exercises each.

• Provided every 11th and 12th grader with over 800 SAT Practice Questions and Practice Test Workbooks, along with ACT English, Reading, and Writing Test Prep and ACT Math Test Prep Quick Study Laminated Reference Guides to enhance our High School College Prep Programs.

• Partnered with the Celebration Restaurant Group to distribute over 600 Free One-Topping Personal Pan Pizza Certificates from Pizza Hut to individual families and two schools, celebrating their hard work and achievements for the current school year.

Appreciative Inquiry

Foster Grants and Giving is an official Appreciative Inquiry Organization that utilizes this transformational change model to foster meaningful dialogue around our strengths and successes through generative questions that explore the ideal. Our organization develops new skills in students and schools, cultivates new leaders, fosters a culture of inquiry, and helps create a shared vision and purpose by building on schools that educate underserved students, highlighting their values and strengths.

Mission Statement

Our mission is "Helping the Helpers," which means providing support and resources to organizations and individuals who educate and assist students, directly engaging the community, and providing direct programming to foster hope and guidance.

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Vision Statement

Our vision is to create a future where every individual, regardless of background, has access to quality education, fostering personal growth and community well-being while creating a ripple effect of positive change, influencing the lives of individuals, and enhancing the community's overall well-being.​