Ben Franklin Academy
A Caring Community of Learners
In the 1980s, Dr. Wood Smethurst and Dr. Martha Burdette realized that there was an unmet need in the Atlanta area for a nonprofit school that offered quality, individualized instruction in a caring, informally progressive setting devoted to student success. Ben Franklin Academy was founded in 1987 and opened in 1988 to meet this need.
Today, Ben Franklin Academy educates around 125 students each year in grades 9-12 in one-on-one or small group settings where students can work at their own pace. In this “mastery” curriculum, students work on a subject until they demonstrate mastery of it with a grade of 90% or higher on each assignment and assessment.
“Knowledgeable and caring fundraising professionals have worked with our Trustees, Overseers, Administrative Team, and parents to help us reach our goals for growth and excellence in education. We are grateful for their expertise in supporting our fundraising efforts as we achieve our objectives to serve teens who thrive in an innovative and supportive school.”
We have proudly worked with Ben Franklin Academy for more than twenty years. Together, we’ve completed two capital campaigns to update and expand facilities, we’ve secured funding for a supportive partnership with a local public high school, and we’ve bolstered BFA’s STEAM programming and resources through major gift fundraising. This is all in addition to managing the school’s donor database and annual campaigns that fund scholarships to make a BFA education available to more students.
Over the years, we have watched the Ben Franklin Academy strengthen their relationships and donor management—and we treasure our longtime partnership.
Location: Atlanta, GA
Sector: Primary and Secondary Schools
Proudest Moment: Two decades of partnership and strengthening BFA’s annual fundraising efforts
Coxe Curry Services Utilized: Annual Giving, Campaign Consulting, Fundraising Strategies