THE CAMPAIGN

Katy Farmer was a classmate and friend of our founder, Ray Walker. Prior to her passing in 2019, she was one of the early supporters of our work who actually took time out of her super-busy schedule as a Producer at 60 Minutes to visit Stokes Foundation on-site for half a day to tour and meet a few of our scholars, colleagues, and strategic partners. When asked how can Stokes Foundation become newsworthy, Katy replied "Just keep doing what you are doing and it will happen!" She followed up that memorable visit with an unexpected charitable gift from her and her husband, Colin's Donor Advised Fund. I encourage you to read an essay that reflects Colin and Katy's approach to life here.

Katy's Estate, thanks to her husband Colin Farmer and their two beautiful children, Riley and Will, have joined with an anonymous member of Ray and Katy's high school graduating class of 1992 at Deerfield Academy to establish a $100,000 Matching Gift Program that alone serves as 1/4 of our preliminary Dormitory Acquisition Goal (Year One) at Robert Carrillo's LaunchPad in San Bernadino, California (prospectus excerpts below on this page and video here) where Stokes Foundation scholars will benefit from a full floor in a brand new modular, mixed-use build, zero capital commitment, below-market rent, LEED certified facilities to accommodate 12-16 adolescent females plus staff. Any capital raised offsets future rent, and our current goal remains $400,000 for Annual Operating Expenses for the first academic year including student summer orientation activity and full school-year residency the dormitory. We are actively seeking and writing Foundation and Corporate Grants and seeking Leadership Gifts of $100K ~ $1MM for Year Two and beyond. LaunchPad is kinetic and inevitable, formally endorsed by the Mayor Helen Tran of San Bernadino, already owns the land for our future home, and also sits at 1/4 of it's own multi-million dollar goal!

OUR MISSION AND IMPACT

Stokes Foundation delivers the life-transforming experience of residential education directly to students in need. We build Urban Boarding School Programs in partnership with existing schools in the US.

Our program model impacts students for whom "dorm life" would not be a luxury, but rather an urgent need yet to be addressed comprehensively in our country.

We catalyze existing philanthropic investments being made in the Education Sector, specifically for those students who simply cannot begin to tap into the typically invested school and community resources, or even begin to focus on education, success, athletics, extracurricular activities, or serving others because their most basic human hierarchical needs are not being met at school, in the community, and/or at home. These core human hierarchical needs are:

Adequate Food and Nutrition
Adequate Shelter and Sense of Home
Freedom from Abuse or Neglect at Home
Freedom from Violence in the Home or Local Community
Freedom from Substance Abuse in the Home or Local Community
Freedom from Harm and Trauma
Age-Appropriate Rest and Sleep Patterns
Caring Adult Presence and Supervision
Adequate Mental Health Supports
Positive Role-Modeling and Reinforcement
Sense of Belonging and Self-Worth

STOKES FOUNDATION x LAUNCHPAD

In partnership with The LaunchPad Collective, a registered 501(c)3 organization, The LaunchPad Fund, a new private real estate equity firm, and CGX: The Carrillo Group, a eXp Realty and eXp Commerical Licensed Real Estate Affiliate Firm, we have agreed to a formal Memorandum of Understanding outlining our occupancy of the second level of a new, mixed-use construction slated for development at 1514-1542 North E Street located squarely in the Opportunity Zone in San Bernadino, California and within walking distance to San Bernadino High School.

This innovative partnership and the subsequent LEED certified modular construction will serve as a pilot Urban Boarding School Program for Stokes Foundation to concurrently provide dormitory housing and amenities for 12 adolescent females attending or preparing to matriculate at San Bernadino High School on the second level of the construction. The first level of the mixed-use structure entails various commercial and foodservice establishments comprising a non-profit retail incubator, indoor vertical garden, green space, and off-street parking.

We urgently need your help to begin funding our first four years of operation. Charitable giving opportunities, including our pilot program's structural and internal location naming opportunities include:

Capital and Contingency
Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment
Annual Operating Expenses for Students
Support Services for Students

Please consider spreading the word by sharing our giving page and please support residential education in the United States with your tax-deductible donation to Stokes Foundation by using the above DONATE button or by check payable to:

Stokes Foundation, Inc., 184 Poppy Lane, Marlboro, New York 12542

We are a GuideStar by Candid Platinum Seal 501(c)3 Charity.

Stokes Foundation Matching Gifts | Dorm Acquisition

Delivering the life-transforming experience of residential education directly to students in need.