The Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence is making grants totaling $40,000 to three Providence schools to fund new library books, musical instruments, and computers to be used for college preparation.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Three Providence schools will receive grants totaling $40,000 as part of the latest round of awards from the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence. That fund, inspired in part by the report of the University’s Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, is an initiative to aid local public schools by committing to raise a $10-million permanent endowment managed by the Corporation of Brown University. The new grants will be made to Paul Cuffee School, Classical High School, and Nathan Bishop Middle School.

At Nathan Bishop Middle School, a $20,000 grant will support the purchase of new fiction books and new musical equipment. The school has made no acquisitions to its library collection since 2006 (when the original Nathan Bishop closed). School officials will use the funds to update the library’s fiction bookshelf, which they say is the most heavily used portion of most middle school libraries, and establish book clubs, author studies, and other activities. Additionally, the school will purchase a set of choir chimes and 29 piano keyboards to help re-establish its music program and offer opportunities for students to perform.

A grant of $10,000 will go to Classical High School to update the school’s College Room — a resource area for students to access online college application services and registration for college admission exams. School officials say there is an increasing demand for access to computers and high-speed Internet, since many local libraries have recently cut hours of operation. The computers will be operational when school begins this fall.

The Fund awarded $10,000 to Paul Cuffee School to purchase 500 nonfiction books to boost students’ proficiencies and interest in science. The books — on subjects including rocks and minerals, genetics, ocean currents, the human body, and nuclear energy — correlate with the science curriculum for students in grades four through eight. The school believes the interest generated by exposure to high-quality science resources will encourage more students to explore higher education and career choices in the fields of science and technology.

The central goal of the Fund is to achieve significant, long-term, sustainable impact on the intellectual and social growth of Providence youth. Since spring 2009, grants have been used to purchase graphing calculators for Providence middle and high school classrooms; support curricular development at Roger Williams Middle School, Vartan Gregorian Elementary School and Hope High School; expand musical programs at Windmill Elementary School and Carl G. Lauro Elementary School; and improve computer workstations at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School.

The Committee of the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence is accepting grant proposals through Feb. 15, 2011, for programs and initiatives that are aligned with its mission and support youth of the Providence Public School District. Application materials and additional information about Brown’s outreach to Providence-area schools are available online at brown.edu/Administration/fecp.