The Bonner Foundation

Through sustained partnerships with colleges and congregations, the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation seeks to improve the lives of individuals and communities by helping meet the basic needs of nutrition and educational opportunity. The Foundation’s major focus is to work in partnership with colleges and universities that host the Bonner Scholars and Leaders Programs, a four-year program that supports students' college access while also building the infrastructure for campus civic engagement. The Bonner Program currently engages more than 65 colleges and universities nationwide, enrolling roughly 3,000 undergraduates each year.

The Bonner Program’s goals include:

For Students • To afford college students an opportunity to use their energy, talents, and leadership skills to be involved in community engagement while providing developmental and financial support.

For the Campus • To challenge and strengthen a “culture of service” in which the school’s teaching, research, and service mission are integrated and every student, faculty, and staff is encouraged to be civically active.

For the Community • To facilitate greater cooperation and communication between the campus and the community by channeling the energies and talents of college students, faculty, and staff to help address the challenges and opportunities of a given community.

For Higher Education • To form a consortium of diverse higher education institutions sharing a common commitment to service and civic engagement while serving as a successful model to other institutions which are interested in creating and sustaining service-based scholarship and civic engagement programs.