About Us
When we first started ZF, we were only a scholarship provider giving students financial support. Eventually, based on what we learned from our students and their needs, we began to coach our students. We had learned that our students and their families were making huge life decisions that impacted them for years, perhaps decades, into the future - school choice, academic emphasis (career), and financial commitments. For some, these became difficult to change once made. So we decided to broaden our mission from simply providing financial support to “Helping Students Become Effective Adults.” We began coaching our students and families earlier in their college decision process using what we've learned over the years as a guide. We ultimately discovered that we were coaching (and learning) far more than evaluating students to receive our scholarships. Some students did not need ZF's financial support but asked to remain with their ZF Coach!
We've evolved even more over the past years. Our mission expanded recently to: Helping students become effective adults and helping effective adults become inspired leaders. Please read about our expanded mission and new logo here.
We've evolved even more over the past years. Our mission expanded recently to: Helping students become effective adults and helping effective adults become inspired leaders. Please read about our expanded mission and new logo here.
Our vision is an ever-growing community of effective adults driven by their desire to learn, their commitment to their core values, and their passion to better our society. This community will become our inspired leaders. We hope our students become part of the ZF lifecycle - Applicants, ZF Students, ZF Student Advisory Group members, ZF Coaches, maybe leadership team members and visionaries, helping to guide ZF into the future.
Co-Founder, Dorothy Zenie
Dorothy's passion was learning. She believed life was a perpetual learning opportunity whether in a classroom setting, or reading & book club discussions, or talking with folks at the local breakfast joint. She believed in community and served on the city's arts grant committee, the planning board, and the board of the local YMCA. Her life long learning continued as she got her pilot's license, went to design school, started an AAUW (American Association of University Women) group in her hometown, and built an interior design business. Early on she discovered online learning and was taking the History of Chinese Architecture when she died. She lived what she believed - life long learning - and her legacy is the Zenie Foundation.
Dorothy's passion was learning. She believed life was a perpetual learning opportunity whether in a classroom setting, or reading & book club discussions, or talking with folks at the local breakfast joint. She believed in community and served on the city's arts grant committee, the planning board, and the board of the local YMCA. Her life long learning continued as she got her pilot's license, went to design school, started an AAUW (American Association of University Women) group in her hometown, and built an interior design business. Early on she discovered online learning and was taking the History of Chinese Architecture when she died. She lived what she believed - life long learning - and her legacy is the Zenie Foundation.
Co-Founder, Frank Zenie & ZF's History
Dorothy and I founded the Zenie Foundation (ZF) on December 24th, 1983. We learned from our parents, and always have believed, that learning, knowledge and values are the foundation to becoming effective adults. As soon as we had children, we instilled the same in them and began to save for their college education.
Our children did not need our savings. Our initial feelings were to invest our unspent savings to help college-bound students who needed financial assistance. We always donated to our alma maters but felt removed from how the schools chose to spend our donations. By 1983, Dorothy and I believed we could have a 1:1 impact on students, so we founded ZF. Our early students found us by word of mouth and we made modest grants to applicants.
The whole college landscape has changed since our original ZF founding. College costs have skyrocketed, student loans even higher, and students are advised to get a college degree regardless of future financial impact and economic potential. We have learned from our students that they benefit from coaching and informed access to financial decision-making assistance.
While we remain absolutely true to our original vision and commitment, ZF continues to evolve. From scholarship provider, to “Helping Students Become Effective Adults” to "Helping students become effective adults and helping effective adults become inspired leaders." We incorporate our real-world experiences and what we have learned from our students into our coaching. We focus on developing resource materials based on our students' needs; plan and help with decision-making through financial assistance. We believe students are able to, and need to make sound decisions that positively impact their lives for years into the future. We try to provide the coaching and tools to help students make informed and value-based decisions.
Frank Zenie - ZF Coach, Trustee & Co-Founder
Dorothy and I founded the Zenie Foundation (ZF) on December 24th, 1983. We learned from our parents, and always have believed, that learning, knowledge and values are the foundation to becoming effective adults. As soon as we had children, we instilled the same in them and began to save for their college education.
Our children did not need our savings. Our initial feelings were to invest our unspent savings to help college-bound students who needed financial assistance. We always donated to our alma maters but felt removed from how the schools chose to spend our donations. By 1983, Dorothy and I believed we could have a 1:1 impact on students, so we founded ZF. Our early students found us by word of mouth and we made modest grants to applicants.
The whole college landscape has changed since our original ZF founding. College costs have skyrocketed, student loans even higher, and students are advised to get a college degree regardless of future financial impact and economic potential. We have learned from our students that they benefit from coaching and informed access to financial decision-making assistance.
While we remain absolutely true to our original vision and commitment, ZF continues to evolve. From scholarship provider, to “Helping Students Become Effective Adults” to "Helping students become effective adults and helping effective adults become inspired leaders." We incorporate our real-world experiences and what we have learned from our students into our coaching. We focus on developing resource materials based on our students' needs; plan and help with decision-making through financial assistance. We believe students are able to, and need to make sound decisions that positively impact their lives for years into the future. We try to provide the coaching and tools to help students make informed and value-based decisions.
Frank Zenie - ZF Coach, Trustee & Co-Founder