1 School Foundation Update March 21, 2006 Jim Collogan National School Foundation Association Community Philanthropy Academy

2 School Foundation Defined Education foundations are “privately operated, nonprofit organizations established to assist public schools” and who qualify as charitable organizations, “different from school districts, public institutions or local governments” (Clay, Hughes, Seely & Thayer, 1985). A public school foundation “is designed to augment, supplement, or complement programs and activities currently being provided by the district” (McCormick, Baver & Ferguson, 2001).

3 School Funding Economics Most economists agree, multiple funding sources must be sought to maintain the financial health of an organization. “Subsidy Trap” by A.C. Brooks “Resource Dependency Theory” by Jeffery Pfiffer

4 School Foundations: US & Iowa California – 550+ Texas Oklahoma Iowa Illinois - 95 Missouri New Jersey - 67 Virginia - 64 Connecticut - 58 Michigan – 78 Indiana - 75 Estimated total public school foundations in the US today: 5,500 – 7,000 based on a 28 state survey. Spring 2005 NSFA

5 5 History of Educational Philanthropy Private Colleges: (Drake/Grinnell) grew tremendously in the 60s and 70s. Public Universities: (ISU,UI) grew tremendously in the 70’s and 80’s. Community Colleges: (Kirkwood, NIACC) grew tremendously in the 90s. School Foundations: Growing in the 2000s Fueled by: Rise of K-12 donor sources. ( NY Times) Generational Wealth Transfer. (Schervish & Edelman)

6 School Foundation Performance Foundations w/o paid staff: KPMG study = $67,000, McCormick = $100,000 Foundations with paid staff: Average $ amount raised yearly: $460,000/ 1.3 staff PEN foundations: Average $ amount raised yearly: $2,300,000/ 6 staff Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy: The Urban Institute: Lampkin and Stern

7 k-12 Foundation Accomplishments 1.Develop and improve community relations. 2.Offer opportunities for service and volunteerism. 3.Raise needed resources for the school or district.

8 k-12 Foundation Weaknesses 1.Lack of awareness in the community 2.Under staffed 3.Lack of a strategic plan 4.Possess a weak vision or no vision 5.Under-capitalized and under-funded 6.Lack data base of potential donors NSFA Iowa SF survey: Fall 2005

9 NSFA’s Mission and Vision Mission: To promote the growth and development of school and district foundation’s in Iowa and across the US. Vision: To see the development of regional and state school foundation organizations in all states. Develop a national presence for the NSFA, strong enough to influence recognition and funding for SF’s at a national level.

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11 NSFA OFFERINGS NSBA Affiliation (National School Boards Association) Give2Schools (online giving technology for your website) NSFIP (National School Foundation Investment Program) “Solid Foundations” A quarterly newsletter Members only section of the NSFA website Discussion Board Conference Speakers Professional Service Resource Website temp-plates Grant Writing Assistance Reduced conference costs State organization for school foundations Online training webinars

12 April 6 and 7, 2006, at Lakeside Center – McCormick Place in Chicago. The first national gathering of K-12 school foundation directors, board members, researchers, school administrators, consultants, and resources. NSFA National Conference! Held in conjunction with the National School Boards Association Paul G. Schervish, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology, Boston College Director, Center on Wealth and Philanthropy Leslie Koch Chief Executive Officer New York City’s Fund for Public Schools

13 Midwest Conference, Des Moines, Iowa September 29, 2005 West Des Moines Marriott

14 Iowa Foundation Accomplishments 1.Student Scholarships: Estimated $25 - $30 M endowed, one Iowa school with close to $13 M. 2.Teacher mini-grants: Thousands of dollars collected and awarded yearly. 3.Fine arts and technology funding 4.Athletic facilities. Several $1M programs.

15 NSFA’s Work with Iowa’s Schools Midwest Conference: Des Moines Phone and resource On-line archive of guidelines and ideas AEA Superintendent Training On-site consulting and training Partnership with CVC Iowa IASB workshop On-line webinars