The DRANREF Foundation

The DRANREF Foundation focuses on empowering young people and creating experiences that foster higher-order thinking, innovation, and social responsibility. Founded in 2015, our philanthropic arm – The DRANREF Foundation (TDF) – carries forth our mission to advance STEM education and entrepreneurship in underserved areas.

Since 2015, The DRANREF Foundation (TDF), a non-profit charitable and educational organization, has exposed over 2,000 students and 170 teachers to the ancient practices of problem solving. The Abacus Project is its signature program started in 2016. We aim to use the Japanese abacus, called a Soroban, to build confidence and boost achievement in black and brown students.

​The Abacus Project invites students to explore Asian culture and mathematics through one of the world's oldest calculators.  Students build their own Soroban (Japanese Abacus) using colorful beads and craft sticks, and then uncover the ancient number system, watching their calculations come to life through strategic bead movement.

​We offer sessions that introduce students to the Soroban and provide practice materials to extend the learning experience to home.  We offer more robust programs that measure the impact based on pre-and post- math assessments.  Professional Development Workshop for Teachers are also offered to area schools and community centers to help scale the project and our reach.​