In the News

New American Scholars is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a second round of funding from the New Hampshire Women's Foundation's Women and Girls of Color Fund.

Founder and President of New American Scholars, Riyah Patel, a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy, expressed profound gratitude for the support, stating, "This grant will further enable us to reach refugee families across New Hampshire, offering them the necessary academic resources, social support, and mentorship programs to succeed in school and life."

The Women and Girls of Color Fund was initiated with the aim of rectifying historic underinvestment in women and girls of color. It provides funding to seed new programs, organizations, or projects. Crystal Paradis, Director of Communications for the New Hampshire Women's Foundation, said, "We're ensuring that those who have historically had less voice, money, and power have more of it."

"Empowerment has a ripple effect," said Kile Adumene, board member for the fund and community activist. "Organizations like New American Scholars exemplify this by creating a pipeline of leadership development, empowerment, and academic achievement for both girls and boys within the refugee community."

Ellen Koenig, Director of Grantmaking for the foundation, emphasized the significance of connecting organizations like New American Scholars to other groups across the state, "We hope that this grant will foster collaborations and partnerships that magnify the impact of each organization."

The grant comes at a crucial time when philanthropy for organizations serving women and girls, particularly those of color, remains woefully inadequate. Nationally, only 1.9% of philanthropic dollars are channeled to such organizations, and a mere 0.5% of all foundation giving goes to organizations serving women and girls of color.

New American Scholars has been at the forefront of addressing the educational disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected refugee students in New Hampshire. The organization offers in-person and virtual academic programs in reading, writing, Language Arts, math, and science.

This second round of funding will go a long way in helping New American Scholars to expand its reach, develop new programs, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of refugee families across the state.