School Foundations to Help Pay for Things
School foundations are charitable, non-profit organizations established to give financial aid to public schools. They are privately-run and separate from the governing school district, but their programs are often designed to complement and enhance the district authority's existing programs and resources. They can be multi-million dollar enterprises providing large amounts of money to fund district-wide programs, or they may be smaller organizations paying for specific school events, programs or pieces of equipment.
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Funds
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According to a Donor Confidence Report conducted in August and September 2010, while donors are giving fewer funds overall, donation levels to education remain relatively stable. More than half of donors surveyed said they would be giving the same in 2010 as they had in previous years, good news for schools feeling the financial pinch from recent budget cuts. Executive Director of the New Albany-Floyd Education Foundation Steve Cunningham observes that foundations are "picking up the slack where the state tax dollars aren't available" and that these organizations are increasingly vital to public school finances.
Large Groups
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The Gates Foundation is the largest private education funder in America and directs its money toward performance-related pay for teachers, investing $290 million over seven years in Tampa, Pittsburgh and Memphis school districts in the Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative. The Gates College-Ready program also aims to prepare all K-12 students for college and wants to see 100 percent of all students graduate on time, up from the current one-third. The foundation believes the single biggest factor in achieving such a goal is effective teaching and therefore uses its funds to put the theory into practice by changing district education policy.
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Smaller Groups
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School foundations can also be effective at the smaller end of the scale, paying for equipment, events or programs that wouldn't otherwise be provided by the school district. In 2010, for example, the Beverley School Foundation in Massachusetts announced an award of $3,272 to be given to finance seven new programs in local schools. The foundation raised the money through an annual softball tournament and an "Honor a Teacher" program. The foundation's treasurer, Anna Green, believes that even though it's a small amount, this money can make a big difference to the local schools and that such grants "fund things that maybe just need a little bit extra to get going."
Finding Donors
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Nationally, the Foundation Center offers comprehensive information about all aspects of foundations. Some of the more detailed information requires subscription, but there are free services available, too. Their "Cooperating Collections" section, for example, provides a guide to free funding information centers around the U.S. where grant-seekers can research local opportunities. The National School Foundation Association also provides nationwide data on participating school foundations, and accessing their online directory is free of charge.
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References
- National School Foundation Association: FAQ
- The Foundation Center: Distribution Of Foundation Grants By Subject Categories 2009
- National Consortium Of Education Foundations: Education Foundation Gives $3,272 For School Programs
- msbnc.com: Bloomberg Business Week: Gates' Latest Mission: Fixing America's Schools:
- Campbell Rinker: Donor Confidence Report: Issue 8: August 2010
- Indiana Evening News And Tribune: Finding The Cash: Schools Turn To Foundations For Extra Support
Resources
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