about us : mission

BHS Exterior
The 21st Century Fund is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 by a dedicated group of parents, alumni and Brookline residents to serve as a sustainable source of funding for new approaches to major challenges in public high school education. In short, the 21st Century Fund provides "venture capital for innovation in public education."

Tax dollars finance the major operational and capital needs at Brookline High School, but they cannot be the sole source of funding. Private donations play a critical role in the success of public education by making it possible to try new ideas, new approaches for facing challenges, and for seizing opportunities.

The 21st Century Fund directs its support to programs from one or more of the following categories:
  • Technology-led teaching to enable students to thrive in an increasingly global and technology-linked society. 
  • Faculty research and experimentation to encourage faculty to explore new educational advancements and experiment with new pedagogical methods.
  • Enrichment of the BHS learning culture to enable students to explore, understand and succeed in variety of contexts and to make informed choices regarding their interests and their futures.
Initiatives in these program areas are designed to serve as models for other public high schools in addressing similar challenges. Current national challenges the 21st Century Fund programs seek to address include narrowing the achievement gap and increasing the personalization of education.

Initiatives currently supported by the 21st Century Fund include: African-American Scholars Program, Arts Infusion Lab, The Ithika Advisory Program, BHS Writes, and Global Leadership Academy. Past programs funded by the 21st Century Fund include: Teachers Mentoring Teachers, BHS Tutorial, Engineering by Design, and the Social Justice Leadership Program. For more information on our programs please visit our program page.

The 21st Century Fund receives tax-deductible contributions from the families of students, from BHS alumni, and from the broader Brookline community. The signature event to raise funds is the annual Gala held each fall. We are continuing to develop and add more community events and opportunities for participation as we explore ways to bring the community together in support of Brookline High School.