What is the World Ready Fund?

Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South is committed to making sure our cutting-edge, innovative programs are available to every child, regardless of their school’s ability to pay for them. 

How will we do that? Through the World Ready Fund, an investment fund dedicated to innovation and providing program funding for children in schools where 90% or more of students qualify for free or reduced lunch as specified by federal Title I law.

The opportunity: When we opened the Wang Experiential Learning Center in January of 2023, we had already begun to scale our program delivery across the region by inviting ALL schools to participate in our programs, regardless of their ability to pay. Generous individuals, foundations and corporations have supported us in serving a record number of children since then, making sure that these programs represent the newest innovations in career, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship education.

Now we want to guarantee that we will always be able to serve those children who need us most and innovate to meet those needs. The World Ready Fund is the answer to that challenge.

How it works: Once we reach our funding goal, at the beginning of each fiscal year, the Junior Achievement Board of Directors will approve a withdrawal from the World Ready Fund based on the number of children in poverty served by our programs in the previous fiscal year and the cost of each program delivered to those children. The Fund may also support innovation in the organization’s learning tools so that Junior Achievement is always able to support student future readiness. 

This infusion of cash at the beginning of each fiscal year will reinforce our commitment across the organization to making sure EVERY CHILD is WORLD READY. Because we know that when children learn how to choose the future they want, they will live a life of meaning and become thriving members of their communities.

The World Ready Fund is not an endowment; our intention is to replenish the World Ready Fund each year in an ongoing campaign.

To find out more and be part of this exciting initiative, contact JA President and CEO Leigh Mansberg, lmansberg@jamemphis.org, 901-366-7800.