About the Nonprofit
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Founded in 2003, Brooklyn Jesuit Prep is a Catholic, Jesuit middle school that serves low-income families of diverse races, ethnicities, and faiths. Our mission is to develop young leaders who are intellectually competent, open to growth, loving, and committed to service and their community. 100% of BJP students come from underserved communities and families who have significant financial need. 100% of our students are people of color, 73% are immigrants or first-generation Americans, and 80% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
We seek to transform the life trajectories of our students and to develop them into leaders. We do so through a rigorous and extended day curriculum, a summer leadership academy, and a graduate support program. Our typical school day runs from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., providing students with opportunities for academic learning, supervised study hall, and extracurricular activities. Our summer leadership academy brings our entire student body to Fairfield University each summer for Camp Montmartre, a three-week leadership development and academic enrichment program. Our graduate support program accompanies students through high school and into college. This program ensures that students continue to have access to needed resources and support as they continue their education beyond BJP.
We run a robust operation, all in service of our students, families, and mission. Our families pay approximately $75 per month in tuition, and the rest of the students’ education is subsidized through philanthropy. We are writing to request the opportunity to apply to the Achelis and Bodman Foundation for such support. The Foundation has been a generous supporter in the past, and we would be deeply grateful for the opportunity to apply again. If given such an opportunity, Brooklyn Jesuit Prep would like to apply for a grant of $50,000 towards general operating support.
BJP is at an exciting time in its history. As the school celebrates its 20-year anniversary, there is new leadership in place and the Board is focused on developing a strategic plan for the future. BJP has also grown in a few important ways. For example, we want to make sure as many students as possible benefit from the gift of a BJP education. Last year, BJP hired its first Director of Admissions, Carlos Ventura. Through Carlos’s efforts, our enrollment increased this year by more than 15%, from 73 students to 89. We are happy to be impacting more students, without increasing costs significantly and maintaining small class sizes.
We have also invested in our graduate support program. Our Director of Graduate Support, Joe Aguilera, helps students apply for high school, visits and tracks them when they’re in high school, and also stays in touch with and supports our alumni in college. Through his efforts, 100% of current BJP alumni go on to graduate from high school, compared to the NYC average of 83%. In addition, BJP’s 15 graduates received $276,170 for 2023 in financial aid and scholarship support, compared to $253,390 that was earned by the 27 graduates from our class of 2022.
