Create Lasting Impact

Your gift to AMI/USA enriches the entire community by:

  1. Educating current and future AMI teachers, administrators and families.
  2. Empowering schools and training centers with a wide array of support services.
  3. Informing members and the general public on Montessori philosophy and news.
  4. Advocating for Montessori standards in local, state, and national arenas.
  5. Connecting with our AMI global community and other organizations in support of the child.

Make a Donation to AMI/USA

Many members of the Montessori community make donations to AMI/USA to provide support for our broadly based work as the lead country affiliate of Association Montessori Internationale. We are constantly seeking to increase the services we provide to schools, members, families, and training centers as well as developing initiatives to increase the recognition and understanding of Montessori education. Donations can be made to AMI/USA to provide more capacity for development of new and existing initiatives.

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Other Initiatives to Support

Black Montessori Educational Fund (BMEF)

AMI/USA is pleased to be among the first major donors to the Black Montessori Educational Fund launched on July 3, 2020 by Mentors of Minorities in Education (M.O.M.I.E.) board member Dr. Ayize Sabater. The initiative aims to raise one-million dollars to “drastically increase Black exposure, expenditure and expertise around Montessori.” AMI/USA Board member KaLinda Bass-Barlow spoke at the launch ceremony where the organization made its “Ella Jo Baker – Transforming Systems Pledge”.

The advisory board for the fund comprises mainly Black Montessori leaders with founding members including Alex Brown, Koren Clark, Nia Seale, and Maati Wafford. The BMEF will provide funding to Black adults interested in receiving Montessori training and provide scholarships to Black families to enroll their children in Montessori schools. It also aims to provide funding for research to explore how Montessori education is impacting the Black community.

As Black communities in the United States continue to experience racially-motivated violence and terror, Montessori education offers one solution to heal the hurt caused by systemic inequities in society. Many Black educators have been trailblazers in ensuring that Maria Montessori’s educational philosophy is delivered to children in a way that is culturally responsive and actively anti-racist. But more funding is needed to ensure that Montessori education becomes more accessible to and known to Black communities.

AMI/USA Board chair, Gretchen Hall, recently commented, “AMI/USA is committed to our mission and work to affect meaningful change — to unpack hierarchy, privilege, bias, and structures that benefit certain communities and disadvantage others through our programs and services. We stand unyielding in our commitment to critically interrogate systemic racism and unconscious bias in our organization and in our community.”

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Joen Bettmann Primary Training of Trainers Fund (MGGF)

Administered by the Montessori Global Growth Fund, the Joen Bettmann Primary Training of Trainers Fund will continue Joen’s work by supporting those she served: future 3-6 Montessori Primary Trainers.

Sustaining excellence in Montessori programming around the world requires access to high quality training for teachers. The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Training of Trainers programme consists of three years of content and academic guidance along with continuous assessment.

Joen’s impact over her 35 years of experience in the Montessori world has been profound. As a member of the Trainer of Trainer’s Group Committee, Primary Trainer, Examiner, and Consultant with AMI, she touched the lives of those she worked with in many countries, including the US, England, Australia, Israel, and South Africa. She was honored by AMI/USA as the first member to be inducted into the Circle of Distinction.

To further the impact Joen has had, this newly established fund will support those in the AMI Training of Trainers program with grants to support their areas of greatest need. The purpose is to focus on the individual and provide holistic support to ensure they can focus on their training and future impact on teachers, and through them, students in Montessori environments.

By making a contribution to this fund, you help us grow the size of the fund and expand the level of support we can provide long into the future through grants to qualified applicants.

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Margaret Elizabeth Stephenson Fund (MES)

AMI/USA established the MES Fund, the first financial aid fund to benefit AMI teacher trainees, in honor of Margaret Elizabeth Stephenson, who devoted her life to AMI teacher training in the United States. The fund honors her legacy and extends her contribution to touch future teachers.

The now self-administered fund awards partial scholarships in the form of tuition reduction towards AMI training in the United States to selected students.

More Information

The MES Fund can be contacted by email at info@mesfund.org.