What does the Petaluma Educational Foundation do?

"Our goal is to be here, to make sure all our schools are supported. And so every student, at whatever time they come and go, whatever families come and go, that they feel that there's an investment in education here."

@Maureen Highland, Executive Director of the Petaluma Educational Foundation (PEF), came by the Porches office last week. PEF raises money, from neighbors, businesses, and foundations, and puts it into every school in town: public, private, and charter, TK through 12.

I had heard about PEF, but as a newcomer to Petaluma, and as someone just starting the school journey with my kids, I didn't have a grasp on how it gets its funding, or how the grant and scholarship programs work. So I asked Maureen to walk me through it. I was excited to see @Danielle Smith's post about PEF today, too.

It turned out to be good timing for a conversation with Maureen because the PEF Impact Grants are open right now. Through October 5, any teacher or school in the Petaluma area can apply for up to $20,000 for a curriculum-based program. The grants are announced in early November, and the programs get implemented in the same school year.

The maximum used to be $15,000; PEF raised it to $20,000 after hearing how much teachers needed support implementing the programs. Up to 10% of a grant can now go to the teacher's own time and training, covering things like a substitute, a conference, or professional development.

Last year, PEF gave $319,460 in grants. A few examples include:

@Casa Grande High School got $20,000 to rebuild its robotics program around "13 durable self-driving electric vehicles" that teach students about brushless motors, lithium-ion batteries, solar arrays, and electric golf car systems. The students build them using "professional-grade skateboard components and CNC-machined parts."
@McNear Elementary School got $9,950 for Project SOAR, transforming four outdoor zones into "inclusive, sensory-rich spaces that help students regulate their emotions and bodies so they are ready to learn," including a kinesthetic sensory path, an outdoor library, and hands-on science stations.
@Miwok Valley Charter School got $13,572 for multisensory literacy tools to support structured reading instruction, "especially benefiting students with learning differences while engaging all learners more deeply."

The Petaluma Educational Foundation was started in 1982, when California's school budgets were collapsing, and a group of local educators, business leaders, and parents gathered to devise their own funding solutions for Petaluma-area schools. Since then, it has awarded more than $10.8 million, with $5.3 million through individual classroom grants, and $5.5 million in scholarships. It's all private funding from individuals, local businesses, and foundations.

They do more than just grants. PEF also offers scholarship programs and has since 1990. It has established 100 scholarship funds, most of them started by a family memorializing someone they loved, or a business investing in its next generation. Graduating seniors can apply through a single portal, answer a few questions, and see the scholarships that could be the right fit for them.

At the awards night each spring, each student comes up, says where they're headed, and thanks their donor. This year, 315 seniors took home 516 awards totaling $354,239, bound for four-year colleges, two-year colleges, and trade schools.

"Everybody has different paths. If you want to learn, we want to help you," Maureen told me. The portal for the class of 2027 opens December 1.

Also: the @Alphabet Soup Thrift Stores have been owned and operated by PEF since 1994. Your gently used clothing, furniture, books, and housewares become unrestricted income for the foundation, which is what lets donor dollars go straight into classrooms. The stores are open seven days a week, so shopping there counts as supporting the schools.

The Bash, PEF's big annual party for grants, is Saturday, September 12. There will be cocktails at 5:30pm, a sit-down dinner at 7pm, live and silent auctions, the "Fund the Future" paddle raise that seeds next year's grants, and a private concert.

Anyone can buy a ticket, attend, and contribute. Last year's Bash raised $330,000 for local classrooms. If you can't make it, the online auction is live right now, open to anyone anywhere.

As Maureen shared: "You don't have to be invited to PEF. You are PEF, living here."

♦️♦️♦️

Learn more at pefinfo.com or follow @pefproud

"Our goal is to be here, to make sure all our schools are supported. And so every student, at whatever time they come and go, whatever families come and go, that they feel that there's an investment in education here." @Maureen Highland, Executive Director of the Petaluma Educational Foundation (PEF), came by the Porches office last week. PEF raises money, from neighbors, businesses, and foundations, and puts it into every school in town: public, private, and charter, TK through 12. I had heard about PEF, but as a newcomer to Petaluma, and as someone just starting the school journey with my kids, I didn't have a grasp on how it gets its funding, or how the grant and scholarship programs work. So I asked Maureen to walk me through it. I was excited to see @Danielle Smith's post about PEF today, too. It turned out to be good timing for a conversation with Maureen because the PEF Impact Grants are open right now. Through October 5, any teacher or school in the Petaluma area can apply for up to $20,000 for a curriculum-based program. The grants are announced in early November, and the programs get implemented in the same school year. The maximum used to be $15,000; PEF raised it to $20,000 after hearing how much teachers needed support implementing the programs. Up to 10% of a grant can now go to the teacher's own time and training, covering things like a substitute, a conference, or professional development. Last year, PEF gave $319,460 in grants. A few examples include: @Casa Grande High School got $20,000 to rebuild its robotics program around "13 durable self-driving electric vehicles" that teach students about brushless motors, lithium-ion batteries, solar arrays, and electric golf car systems. The students build them using "professional-grade skateboard components and CNC-machined parts." @McNear Elementary School got $9,950 for Project SOAR, transforming four outdoor zones into "inclusive, sensory-rich spaces that help students regulate their emotions and bodies so they are ready to learn," including a kinesthetic sensory path, an outdoor library, and hands-on science stations. @Miwok Valley Charter School got $13,572 for multisensory literacy tools to support structured reading instruction, "especially benefiting students with learning differences while engaging all learners more deeply." The Petaluma Educational Foundation was started in 1982, when California's school budgets were collapsing, and a group of local educators, business leaders, and parents gathered to devise their own funding solutions for Petaluma-area schools. Since then, it has awarded more than $10.8 million, with $5.3 million through individual classroom grants, and $5.5 million in scholarships. It's all private funding from individuals, local businesses, and foundations. They do more than just grants. PEF also offers scholarship programs and has since 1990. It has established 100 scholarship funds, most of them started by a family memorializing someone they loved, or a business investing in its next generation. Graduating seniors can apply through a single portal, answer a few questions, and see the scholarships that could be the right fit for them. At the awards night each spring, each student comes up, says where they're headed, and thanks their donor. This year, 315 seniors took home 516 awards totaling $354,239, bound for four-year colleges, two-year colleges, and trade schools. "Everybody has different paths. If you want to learn, we want to help you," Maureen told me. The portal for the class of 2027 opens December 1. Also: the @Alphabet Soup Thrift Stores have been owned and operated by PEF since 1994. Your gently used clothing, furniture, books, and housewares become unrestricted income for the foundation, which is what lets donor dollars go straight into classrooms. The stores are open seven days a week, so shopping there counts as supporting the schools. The Bash, PEF's big annual party for grants, is Saturday, September 12. There will be cocktails at 5:30pm, a sit-down dinner at 7pm, live and silent auctions, the "Fund the Future" paddle raise that seeds next year's grants, and a private concert. Anyone can buy a ticket, attend, and contribute. Last year's Bash raised $330,000 for local classrooms. If you can't make it, the online auction is live right now, open to anyone anywhere. As Maureen shared: "You don't have to be invited to PEF. You are PEF, living here." ♦️♦️♦️ Learn more at pefinfo.com or follow @pefproud