Shirley Proctor Puller Foundation Inc.

“Part III Statement of Program Service Accomplishments: Improving academic achievement contributes to breaking the cycle of generational poverty and economic immobility, which in turn leads to better long-term health outcomes. The Shirley Proctor Puller Foundation offers a continuum of educational interventions designed to ensure that students in the at-risk community of south St. Petersburg reach grade level reading and math proficiency, successfully navigate the transition from middle school to high school and learn critical career, financial literacy and life skills. These academic supports are offered in a safe, extremely affordable environment that benefits both the students and their families and includes healthy meals and snacks, transportation, connections to community resources and health/wellness programming. SPPF has a measurable history of success helping students improve literacy and in 2023 launched a pilot initiative to further support middle school students as they prepare for the challenges of high school. SPPF has proven expertise and success in securing academic improvements among the diverse students in the community. Since inception, 65%-80% of SPPF M.A.S.T.R. Kids Program scholars have avoided the summer slide each summer. In the 2022-23 After School session, students reading at grade level improved from 28% to 48% overall. We effectively closed the achievement gap among 83 students with us for 12 months (Aug22 through July23): 64% of students were reading at grade level in July vs. only 27% the prior August. From 1/1/23 - 12/31/23, SPPF served 241 unduplicated clients. Student demographics for students enrolled in August 2023 are as follows: Race: 97% Black/African American, Non-Hispanic or Latino 1% Multi-Racial 1% Multi-Racial, Hispanic or Latino 1% Other Race Gender: Females 51% / Males 49% Income: 94% of the households qualified as low-income, with 65% of those reporting earnings at or below the federal poverty level and an additional 29% of families reporting earnings with the A.L.I.C.E. (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) threshold as defined by United Way, meaning they do not earn enough to cover the basic needs of a family living in our area. With the goal to advance literacy and close the achievement gap, the SPPF M.A.S.T.R Kids program uses a literacy plus STEAM curriculum approach to encourage a love of learning. Classrooms are led by certified Teachers with experience in driving and achieving success with children in at-risk environments. Field trips and extra-curricular activities are used to reinforce classroom concepts. Students build core skills in English and Math and practice these skills in fun and engaging real-world activities. A fundamental component of our program is the use of an online i-Ready curriculum. The pre and post i-Ready assessments are used as primary success metrics given high ratings for reliability, validity, and strong correlation to Florida state testing and standards. In 2023, SPPF launched a pilot initiative to help students at/near grade level proficiency prepare for success in high school. This initiative was launched after SPPF listened intently and inclusively to a range of community voices including students, parents, principals, teachers, high school counselors, college and career coordinators and community partners. The pilot successfully engaged 25 6-10th graders and expanded to serve 38 students beginning in June 2024.”

“Board Member William Puller is the father of CEO Bridgette Heller.”

“Form 990 is emailed to all Board Members for review prior to filing.”

“The CEO monitors all spending to stay below level of materiality with any organization. The CEO informs the Board of any sizable new vendor or relationship (e.g. banks, food providers, etc.) to enable conflict of interest disclosure. At each Board meeting, all potential conflicts of interest are addressed by the Board with appropriate action taken in accordance with policy.”

“No key employees or compensated officers.”

“No key employees or compensated officers.”

“Form 1023 and Form 990 available upon request. 990 also available on Guidestar.”

“Governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are available to the public upon request.”