HOBOKEN – Mustard Seed School has announced it has received a gift of $250,000 from entrepreneur and philanthropist Coleman Fung. The gift will establish and fund the Coleman Fung Chair for Creativity and Design. The endowed chair will provide an annual budget to further develop the school curriculum in areas that promote creativity, problem-solving, and innovation.
This is the third endowed chair that Mr. Fung has given to the school. In 2007, he founded Mustard Seed’s endowed chair program with the Coleman Fung Chair for Mathematics and the Coleman Fung Chair for Music.
“When I evaluate programs to support, I have three criteria: vigorous, creative, and inclusive,” says Mr. Fung. “Mustard Seed School is all of these things. The more I learn about Mustard Seed’s model – the style of teaching, the program – the more I love it. As an entrepreneur, I consider Mustard Seed to be one of the best, if not the best, investment opportunities.”
“I am deeply grateful for Coleman’s incredible generosity and steadfast support of Mustard Seed’s students and teachers,” said Head of School Thomas Postema. “Over the past decade, we’ve seen incredible growth in our school because of the endowed chair program. Money from the chairs continues to provide resources, materials, and professional development opportunities for teachers. It gives us the flexibility to bring in experts and send students into the field for first-hand experiences.”
The Coleman Fung Chair for Creativity and Design has been given in conjunction with the school’s $3 million Together for Tomorrow Campaign, the public phase of which began in January.
Mustard Seed School has an intentional mission to the urban poor, with over 50 percent of its kindergarten through eighth grade students receiving financial aid. The school has over 270 preK-8th grade students. For more information, go to www.mustardseedschool.org.
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