The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) is pleased to announce that it has received a $600,000 charitable commitment from the Connolly Family Foundation to enable the consortium to build capacity and promote growth over the next three years.
Based in Atlanta, the Connolly Family Foundation aims to interrupt the cycle of generational poverty through its philanthropy. Its president, Larry Connolly views SHECP’s efforts to transform poverty studies, through coursework and internships, as an important tool in the fight against poverty.
Larry Connolly, president of the Connolly Family Foundation and SHECP governing board member.
“I think SHECP scholars gain a profound understanding of the root cause of poverty and human capability, which can shape them to be great civic leaders and board members for agencies whose mission is to address the effects of poverty in their communities,” said Connolly. “The more SHECP scholars we can produce, the more effectively we can deal with this chronic societal issue.”
Beyond his foundation’s philanthropic support, Connolly currently serves on SHECP’s governing board. An alumnus of Washington and Lee University, he is a long-time supporter of the school’s Shepherd Poverty Program, from which SHECP was founded. Ideally, Connolly said, the consortium (now at 25 member schools) will expand to include institutions coast to coast.
“We are extremely grateful for Larry Connolly’s generosity and leadership in enabling our mission,” said Dr. Brett Morash, SHECP executive director. “This multi-year commitment by the Connolly Family Foundation is a profound investment in the future of the consortium and our shared vision to enrich and improve the study of poverty in higher education.”
To learn more about SHECP and how you can support its mission to transform poverty studies, visit shepherdconsortium.org.
About the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty: The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP), is a consortium of colleges and universities that are committed to the study of poverty as a complex social problem, by expanding and improving educational opportunities for college students in a wide range of disciplines and career trajectories. SHECP institutions support undergraduates toward a lifetime of professional and civil efforts to diminish poverty and enhance human capability. For more information, please visit ShepherdConsortium.org, or follow us on Twitter at @TheSHECP.