NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Education Foundation (NEF) has awarded its first two grants since completing a restructuring that will allow it to fund projects across the city’s school district in perpetuity.

The restructuring effort is the result of a successful $1 million fundraising campaign that was completed at the end of 2019. Martin Wohl, the vice president of NEF and co-chair of the foundation’s Endowment Distribution Committee, said that although the goal was completed more than five years ago, disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and turnover among Northampton Public Schools administrative staff meant implementation did not take effect until this year.

“It’s been in the works for quite a while,” Wohl said. “The idea is to guarantee a certain amount of money every three years to what we call the grade levels — so the high school, middle school and the elementary schools — and now we’re including the preschools in that component too.”

Under the new grant guidelines, Northampton High School will be eligible to receive up to $100,000 over the next three years, with the amount repeating every three years thereafter. The source of the funding comes from dividends and interest growth of the NEF’s endowment fund, ensuring the perpetuity of the grants for years to come, according to the organization.

The first two NHS grants awarded total $44,300.

One $36,000 award is for the creation of a “Collaboration Corner” at the high school’s library, accommodations meant to encourage students to work and learn together.

“The Collaboration Corner will allow neurodivergent and neurotypical students to choose ergonomic and active seating or to easily move acoustic/privacy screens, chairs and tables to satisfy physical and emotional safety needs,” the grant states. “This proposal is specifically to create a zone for social and collaborative learning, which is one of the most common purposes for which classes use the library. When funded and well-implemented, this project will provide a model that can be replicated to provide a more collaborative and flexible learning environment in NHS classrooms.”

The second grant, totaling $8,300, is for the creations of the “Blue Devils Cafe,” an expansion of the existing school coffee cart, where students stock carts with baked goods and coffee to deliver around the school. The grant allows for the creation of a stand-alone cafe where students can order from.

The grant states that the cafe “will offer new opportunities to work on food safety training, food prep, budgeting for weekly supplies, learning how to take orders, maintaining clean work environments, maintaining inventory, stocking supplies, and more,” adding that the cafe will provide “a bridge between academic learning and the workforce, allowing students to gain hireable skills while also participating in vital education.”

Wohl said that purchase orders to support the new grant programs have already been made by the school, and that the school will be able to draw from the funds as they need them.

The next grants to be announced will be for JFK Middle School, which is currently in the process of constructing its grant funding plan for the next three years. According to the NEF, those grants will be announced in the fall.

“We’re just really grateful for the community to be able to have the vision and the generosity to have this happen. It’s made a big difference,” Wohl said. “The future looks bright and what it can accomplish over the years. This is just the beginning.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.