Wide medium shot of an open classroom mid-lesson, students at wooden desks engaged with materials, a mentor leaning toward a learner in the foreground, warm natural daylight streaming through tall windows on the left, bookshelves visible along the back wall
Wide medium shot of an open classroom mid-lesson, students at wooden desks engaged with materials, a mentor leaning toward a learner in the foreground, warm natural daylight streaming through tall windows on the left, bookshelves visible along the back wall
— Fredrick W Petri Foundation

Education and community — the combination that holds.

We fund the connection between educational advancement and community stability. Not one without the other. Long-term commitments to systems change, measured in outcomes across generations.

Grants are down payments on systems change.

Education without community support fails. Community without economic opportunity stalls. Our investments address both — through responsible stewardship, evidence-driven priorities, and multigenerational thinking.

/ Where We Invest

Three interconnected areas of commitment

Educational Access
Community Resilience
Active Partnership

Scholarships, mentorship, and lasting access

Family support, health, and neighborhood stability

Grantmaker and program convener

We fund scholarship programs, mentorship structures, and learning resources that open doors across the second and third generation — not one-time interventions.

Stable communities require more than programs. We partner with organizations addressing family services, health access, and revitalization to build durable foundations for growth.

We write checks and we stay involved. The foundation designs initiatives alongside grantees, asks hard questions about outcomes, and course-corrects when evidence demands it.

Ready to Apply or Partner

Collaborative work starts with a conversation.

Whether you lead a nonprofit seeking funding alignment or a donor assessing long-term impact, the foundation's grantmaking priorities and application process are open and transparent.