In the past school year, the Foundation paid scholarships to 99 students of Open Gate Grammar School, i.e. about one-third of Open Gate students. In needs-based grants, the Foundation distributed CZK 41 million last year. Since the Open Gate Grammar School was established in Babice near Prague a total of 333 gifted young people have received support from The Kellner Family Foundation. Of those, 27 come from children’s homes and 23 live in foster care.
The Helping Schools Succeed project, initiated by the Foundation in 2010, continued at public primary schools for the ninth year. This project helps to change the school environment so that it favours genuine education of pupils as well as teachers’ professional development. In 2018 more than 800 teachers and, through them, also 8,700 pupils used CZK 37 million at the 22 primary schools involved. Mrs Hana Košťálová, a long-standing expert consultant for the project, was awarded a second-order medal for her major contribution to the Czech educational system by the Minister of Education, Mr Robert Plaga, in November 2018.
The third pillar of support for education is financial grants for gifted and motivated students at higher-education institutions and universities. In the 2018/2019 academic year, the Foundation allocated a total of CZK 9.2 million to 59 selected students under the Universities project. With the Foundation helping to pay tuition fees and cover the costs of living, a total of 164 young people have studied or are enrolled at universities, predominantly outside the Czech Republic.
“We are committed to the long-term support of selected projects. We do not want to spread ourselves too thin, because education needs sustained systematic care,” said Petra Dobešová, member of the Board of Trustees of The Kellner Family Foundation. “We are delighted about the good results of the young people whom we sponsor and their achievements also testify that the energy and financial support dedicated to education at all tiers, from primary schools to universities, make sense,” added Petra Dobešová.
| The Kellner Family Foundation | The 2018 Figures | |
| CZK 89 million | Total amount of donations |
| CZK 41 million | Scholarships for Open Gate Grammar School students |
| 99 students | Scholarship beneficiaries at Open Gate Grammar School |
| CZK 37 million | for public primary schools under Helping Schools Succeed |
| 860 teachers | are involved in Helping Schools Succeed |
| CZK 9,2 million | in grants for university students |
| 59 students | are grantees under the Universities project |
The Foundation has posted the complete Annual Report for 2018 at www.kellnerfoundation.cz
(direct link to the Foundation’s AR 2018: http://bit.ly/Vyrocni_Zprava2018)