Cornerstone Partners provide the foundation of financial support needed to provide a quality education for low-income families throughout the D.C. area at an affordable price. Each Partner provides a generous financial gift that makes a Cornerstone education possible for a student, and supports the overall mission of the Cornerstone program.

But that is not all.

The Cornerstone Partner Program also gives contributors the opportunity to move beyond passive giving. Through quarterly lunchtime events with their students, Cornerstone Partners become actively involved in encouraging students to achieve academic success as they grow.

Listed below are several ways to participate in this unique giving program. To continue our mission, each Cornerstone student needs one full Partner or two Co-Partners and each classroom needs a Capital Classroom Partner.

We hope you will join us in making a quality education available to students in our nation’s capital!

Cornerstone Partners
Cornerstone Partners are individuals or businesses who contribute $4,000 as full Partners or $2,000 as Co-Partners towards the education of a student at Cornerstone. Each Partner will be assigned a student and asked to participate in four school-organized lunchtime events with their student. If a Partner would like to provide the financial support but is unable to fulfill the Partner event commitment, he or she can choose to become a Silent Partner and a Cornerstone Mentor will be assigned to his or her student.

Cornerstone Mentors
Cornerstone Mentors agree to attend the four Partner events each year and substitute for Silent Partners who cannot be there or step in to encourage students who do not have Partners. Mentors also enjoy other opportunities to give of their time by tutoring students, participating in field trips and extracurricular activities and assisting the school in organizing and running other special events.

Partner Groups
Partner Groups “pool” their resources together to provide the financial support for one or more Cornerstone students and then designate one or more members of the Group to meet with the student during Partner events. These Partner Groups allow individuals to participate in the Partner program without contributing all the Partnership-related resources themselves.

Capitol Classroom Partner
The Capitol Classroom Partner Program (CCP) allows an individual, corporation or foundation to sponsor an entire classroom of students, profoundly furthering the mission of the school. Cornerstone works with its CCP Partners to ensure that the contribution is carefully managed and produces meaningful results. The annual CCP investment is $30,000.

Next Generation Partner
This program allows individuals to include Cornerstone in their long-range estate and financial planning and is a wonderful way to provide lasting support to the school. Gift opportunities range from naming Cornerstone in a will, to establishing a life income gift, such as a charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust to benefit Cornerstone, to designating Cornerstone as a beneficiary of a life insurance or retirement plan for all or part of the proceeds.