Turning Donations into Investments for Education

Hi, we’re Vishva Rao and Pranav Boreddy, juniors at Mount Hebron High School and active members of our community. We’re always looking for ways to make a positive impact. As members of a nationally ranked economics team, we participate in annual national competitions in New York, partially funded by generous community donations.

However, we noticed that once these donations are collected (often years in advance), the money sits idle, losing value over time due to inflation. With our understanding of the financial system and the value of money, we saw an opportunity to make these funds work harder for our community.

Our idea: Create a donation fund that invests these contributions, allowing the money to grow over time. This approach would enable us to generate a sustainable source of funding, reducing the need for consistent annual donations. Instead of relying on a steady inflow of contributions each year, the fund will work to provide these yearly donations for us, ensuring our education system has the resources it needs to thrive without added financial pressure on the community.

We estimate a conservative growth projection of 10–15% within the year, with potential returns reaching as high as 30%. With this extra money, we’ll be able to provide even more funding for essential school resources, such as textbooks, classroom supplies, and learning materials. This ensures that students and teachers have everything they need to focus on what really matters: learning.

To ensure transparency and maximize efficiency, all funds will be pooled into a non-profit LLC, enabling us to invest tax-free. These funds will be allocated to a minimal-risk, diversified portfolio consisting of stocks and ETFs. By doing so, we can safeguard the donations while letting them grow and work toward benefiting students and teachers alike.

Thank you for supporting our vision of turning donations into a powerful tool for improving education in our community. Together, we can make a lasting impact!