The Jeanes Foundation supplied the structure and the method to hire teachers for African Americans in rural communities.
[4] The foundation was the idea of Anna T. Jeanes, an American philanthropist and Quaker who wanted to establish a fund to improve the educational opportunities of rural African-Americans.
[6] Jeanes was interested in providing assistance for people in rural areas, saying, "I should like to help the little country schools.
[7][5][9][4] After Jeanes died, her will specified that William Howard Taft, Andrew Carnegie, Washington and Frissell be named to the Board of Trustees for the foundation.
With the freedom to design her own agenda, she shaped industrial work and community self-help programs to meet specific needs of schools.