Proximity Accelerator: FaithActs for Education
The Proximity Accelerator, which is led by New Profit Managing Partner Tulaine Montgomery and Partner Marco Davis, is part of a larger effort by New Profit to support visionary social entrepreneurs and other leaders from underrepresented communities, in this case communities of color. Participants in the one-year Proximity Accelerator receive a one-time unrestricted grant of $50,000, intensive group learning and collaboration on leadership and organizational development, regular consultations with New Profit partners with expertise in nonprofit capacity building, and access to New Profit’s larger learning community of social entrepreneurs and other changemakers through events like the annual Gathering of Leaders.
The first cohort of this year-long initiative features eight selected organizations. Today we celebrate one of the eight selected organizations: FaithActs for Education.
FaithActs for Education is a grassroots community organizing nonprofit based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. We are people of faith building power to get our children the education they deserve. Founded in October 2014, FaithActs’ model centers around two key activities: leveraging the power of faith leaders within their community, and directly engaging parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles – folks with a direct stake in their child’s education.
About Jamilah Prince-Stewart
Jamilah Prince-Stewart is the Executive Director of FaithActs for Education. Jamilah is a native of New Haven, Connecticut and graduate of Yale University. After graduation, Jamilah worked at Hartford Youth Scholars Foundation as the Placement Manager, where she placed inner-city middle school students into independent secondary schools around the country. Recognizing larger systemic issues facing Connecticut’s education system, Jamilah embarked on a journey to increase the participation of community leaders, parents, and people of color in Connecticut’s education reform movement as the Director of Community Engagement at ConnCAN, a state-level advocacy organization. During her time at ConnCAN, Jamilah began a robust Clergy organizing initiative that garnered major wins for Connecticut’s education reform movement and an important bond with Pastor William McCullough that would lead to the creation of FaithActs for Education.
Follow @JamilahPS and @faithactsedu to keep up with FaithActs!