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To enhance the educational experience of every TJ student both during and following their tenure, through support for the educational programs of the school and connections with TJ's vast network of successful and well-placed alumni.
It's a simple mission, and one that we achieve only through the support of our generous donors. We connect with parents and faculty past and present, corporations and foundations, and the world's most powerful high school alumni network to raise money for America's premier secondary STEM school.
Through that support, we partner with the TJ Administration to identify existing needs within the school and opportunities to further enhance the unparalleled STEM education experience that the school is known for worldwide. That support allows TJ to purchase advanced instrumentation for its 13 university-level research spaces, develop a purpose-built professional development experience for TJ's world-class faculty, and set up their students to redefine what's possible in the high school environment through the nation's most robust Student Group program (TJ alumni know this as "8th Period").
Our support for these remarkable students doesn't end with their time at TJ, however. Through reunion support, special local and national events, and the development of a brand-new alumni connection platform, the TJPF seeks to enhance the value of the TJ experience by bringing our well-placed graduates in contact with one another - and offering opportunities for them to "pay it forward" to the next generation of STEM leaders by passing on their knowledge and experience to current TJ students and young alumni.
Our support goes to two areas and two areas alone: the educational programs of TJHSST and the enhancement of our alumni network. The TJPF has no other mission and no other purpose.
We have no role whatsoever in policymaking for or administration of TJHSST, to include its admissions process, development of its curriculum, or the selection of individuals to serve in its faculty, staff, or administration, nor do we seek such a role or have the ability to provide such access to others.
The TJPF does not entertain grant requests from political causes or candidates and does not endorse them. We do not make grants to individuals on any level, nor do we make investments in any businesses or other corporate entities. We are guided solely by our mission to serve TJ.
The TJ Partnership Fund is independent of, and neither owned nor operated by, Fairfax County Public Schools or the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
Established in 1985, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST or TJ) is a Virginia Governor’s School administered by Fairfax County Public Schools. As a selective secondary school, TJ serves over 2,000 students from the Northern Virginia jurisdictions of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties, and the Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. TJ provides a dynamic, specialized learning environment for selected students who seek a comprehensive, challenging curriculum with emphasis in these disciplines. Each year, a competitive admissions process attracts nearly 3,000 applicants for a class of 550 freshmen.
While TJ was established as a STEM-focused advanced educational experience in 1985, it quickly became clear that the capabilities of its student body far exceeded the limitations of what the school could provide through local school funding and the Virginia Governor's School program.
In 1999, a group of dedicated parents and local corporate leaders established the TJ Partnership Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation charged with raising money to give the TJ administration the flexibility to create an educational experience worthy of the TJ student body's extraordinary talent.
In conjunction with the dramatic renovation of the school that began in June 2013, the TJPF launched the Campaign for TJ to raise funds for the infrastructure, state-of-the-art research equipment, and advanced technology that would not be covered by public funds but was critical to meet TJ’s unique needs and goals. The Campaign concluded in December 2017, exceeding its goal of raising $8 million to support the reimagining of TJ’s campus and facilities.
The TJPF's support for the amazing TJ educational experience continues today, as we have authorized grants of over $10 million directly to TJ over our foundation's lifetime. As we enter into our second quarter-century of Supporting TJ's Educational Mission, we are proud to have authorized grants of over $1.25 million in the past four years and look forward to even greater support under the leadership of TJ's first alumni principal, Mike Mukai '89.
