"I thank you for what you have done because you have given us something no one can ever take away: hope and the courage to strive to reach whatever we aspire to be."
-Tammia, a BASIC Fund alumna, and graduate from Ithaca College
"Let the memory of Jim
be with us forever"
Jim McCarthy founded The BASIC Fund with Arthur Rock and John Walton in 1998. He and Arthur were the driving force behind The BASIC Fund for many years, recruiting a tremendous and supportive board of directors and devising a conservative financial model which enabled our organization to quickly grow from a few hundred scholarships to thousands per year. Jim sadly passed away in April 2022.
"Jim was a marvelous partner in starting the BASIC Fund. Together and separately we were able to raise enough money to get started and gradually built the organization into what it is now. I am proud that the children of the San Francisco Bay Area are benefiting from what the BASIC Fund brings to their schools. I will miss him."
~Arthur Rock
While we have lost a very special leader and friend, BASIC will continue to function with the same sense of purpose because of his example. The BASIC Fund is his legacy and one that we will nurture as he did, so we can meet the needs of future generations of BASIC Scholars. Click below to access Jim’s memorial page and leave a tribute if you wish.
Founding Directors (L to R): David Dawson, James Herbert, Jim McCarthy, Jim Conn, Arthur Rock, John Walton
