The nonprofit Uncle Grumps Education Initiative is dedicated to providing improved educational opportunities in places of entrenched poverty. Even at modest levels, we believe that such help can have a meaningful and far-reaching effect. With improved education, we believe that children anywhere have a better chance of growing up able to meet their needs. It is also our sense that when people have achieved a certain level of education, they try to pass on that same level of education (or better) to their children. Our hope is that our assistance might have a positive ripple effect from one generation to the next.

We are currently considering two ways of helping children in San Luis, Mexico get a better education. I’ve been exchanging e-mails with Ken Blose, the administrator of the Bethel Orphanage in San Luis. The Bethel Orphanage does a great job giving the kids a stable and safe environment where they know that they are loved. However, the public school lacks the resources to provide a decent education. Among other problems, there are 40-50 kids per classroom with just one teacher. As the year progresses and final decisions are made, I’ll be announcing our plan to help provide them with a better educational opportunity.

Another smaller project we are considering is to provide modest “scholarships” to certain students. For example, one potential recipient is in her last year of free public education. If she wants to continue her education in, what we in the United States would call “High School,” she must pay a stipend that she cannot afford. The Uncle Grumps Education Initiative is preparing to pay the fee on her behalf so that she can continue to go to school.

You can get a glimpse of San Luis by viewing our slide show here.

The Uncle Grumps Education Initiative is legally a part of and administered by the 501(c)(3) charity, Matthew Projects, Inc. Thus, donations to Matthew Projects earmarked for the Uncle Grumps Education Initiative are expected to be fully tax deductible. Paperwork has been filed, but it will take a few months for it to be processed. We expect to receive the confirmation that we are a tax exempt organization in mid-2007, which will also confirm the tax deductible nature of donations to Matthew Projects (including past donations).

The best way to keep informed about the Uncle Grumps Education Initiative is to sign up for the Grump Gazette at Uncle Grumps. You'll get a free copy of the Grump Gazette newsletter e-mailed to you every two weeks or so. It will keep you up-to-date about the Uncle Grumps Education Initiative in addition to giving you information that is specific to Uncle Grumps. You can sign for the Grump Gazette here.