What Polk Education Foundation does

Polk Education Foundation (PEF) is a Bartow, Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1988 as the official direct-support organization for the Polk County School Board. It functions as the district's fiscal agent and program operator for private-sector educational funding, having raised and deployed over $43 million across Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) over its history. PEF runs six core programs: a graduating-senior scholarship portfolio (which crossed $1 million in awards for the first time in 2025), AmeriCorps Polk Reads (K-3 literacy tutoring via 45+ national service members), Take Stock in Children (mentoring plus Florida Prepaid scholarships for at-risk students), the Suncoast Credit Union Free Teacher Market (free classroom supplies), Duke Energy T2T/S2S Connection Grants (innovative classroom grants up to $1,000), and a portfolio of School Matching and corporate-sponsored grants.

PEF's revenue is sourced from four principal streams: corporate and community foundation grants (e.g., Suncoast $50K, GiveWell $80K, AT&T $30K, Florida Blue $10K, Universal Orlando $12K, MOSAIC $12K, Publix, Wells Fargo in 2025-2026), the Florida Support Education specialty license plate program (administered via the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations, which has raised $14M+ statewide since 1994), individual donations, and event fundraising (Soirée for Students, golf scrambles, Clays for Classrooms). The technology stack is conventional nonprofit infrastructure — a SharpSchool-hosted website with donation processing, a ClassLink-integrated scholarship application portal, and email/RSS distribution — with no proprietary technology, AI, or data assets of note. Leadership transitioned in August 2024 with Tracy Porter succeeding Susan Copeland as Executive Director; Porter brings roughly 30 years of fundraising experience and a track record of generating over $100 million across prior healthcare, education, and arts roles.

Name

Polk Education Foundation

Legal name

Polk Education Foundation

Website

https://polkeducationfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Polk Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that serves as the official direct-support organization for the Polk County School Board, administering scholarships, reading tutoring, teacher grants, and mentoring programs funded by corporate grants, donations, and a statewide specialty license plate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Foundation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

Keywords

• Education foundation services
• Student scholarship programs
• Classroom grant funding
• Teacher resource support
• Nonprofit education fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Bartow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Major grants from corporations and community foundations including Suncoast Credit Union ($50,000), GiveWell Community Foundation ($80,000), AT&T ($30,000), Florida Blue Foundation ($10,000), Universal Orlando Foundation ($12,000), Wells Fargo ($5,000), and others fund specific programs and initiatives.
2. Support Education Specialty License Plate: $20 from every Support Education specialty license plate goes directly to schools in the county where purchased. Over $14 million has been raised statewide since 1994 through this program.
3. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting scholarships, classroom grants, Free Teacher Market, and general operations.
4. Event Fundraising: Revenue generated through fundraising events including Clays for Classrooms (raised over $45,000 in 2026), Take Stock in Children Golf Scramble, Soiree for Students, and other community events.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Polk Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit direct-support organization that funds and operates educational programs for Polk County Public Schools. It awards college scholarships to graduating seniors, funds classroom innovation grants, runs K-3 reading tutoring through AmeriCorps Polk Reads, distributes free school supplies via the Suncoast Credit Union Free Teacher Market, and administers the Take Stock in Children mentoring and scholarship program, all delivered free of charge.

Product overview

Polk Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as a direct-support organization for the Polk County School Board. The Foundation offers a portfolio of educational programs including: Scholarships for graduating seniors (over $1 million awarded in 2025-2026); AmeriCorps Polk Reads (K-3 reading tutoring); Take Stock in Children (mentoring and scholarship program); Free Teacher Market (school supply distribution); T2T/S2S Connection Grants (innovative teacher grants); and various fundraising events (Soirée for Students, Golf Scramble, Clays for Classrooms). The organization also administers the License for Learning specialty license plate program and Staff Offers discount program. These programs work together to support student success, recognize educators, and mobilize community resources for public education in Polk County.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarships Program Financial assistance program providing scholarships to graduating seniors from Polk County Public Schools; awarded over $1 million in the 2025-2026 academic year for the first time since the Foundation's 1988 inception.
• AmeriCorps Polk Reads Reading tutoring program for struggling kindergarten through third-grade readers at select Polk County schools, providing one-on-one and small-group tutoring targeting the five components of effective reading instruction.
• Suncoast Credit Union Free Teacher Market Free school supply distribution program where Polk County public and charter school teachers can obtain classroom supplies and student materials at no cost, operating as a physical storefront on the Bartow Middle School campus with periodic pop-up locations.
• Take Stock in Children Comprehensive program providing college tuition scholarships, volunteer mentors, and case managers to help underserved students stay in school, graduate high school, and pursue higher education; serves students enrolled as early as eighth grade.
• Duke Energy T2T/S2S Connection Grants Teacher-to-teacher and school-to-school grant program providing funding for innovative classroom programs, with Developer Grants up to $700 and Adapter Grants up to $1,000.
• School and Community Grants Program Portfolio of grant programs supporting Polk County Public Schools, including School Matching Grants (dollar-for-dollar match up to $5,000 per grant), Suncoast Credit Union Grants, Wells Fargo Financial Health Grants, and healthcare career pathway grants.
• Support Education Specialty License Plate Program (License for Learning) Florida Support Education specialty license plate program where $20 from each plate purchase goes directly to schools in the county where the plate is registered, raising funds for Polk County schools in partnership with the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations.
• Clays for Classrooms Fundraising Events Annual clay shooting fundraising events honoring former Executive Director Susan Copeland, generating revenue that supports classroom grants and scholarships (raised over $45,000 in 2026).
• Inspire Awards Ceremony Annual ceremony recognizing student success and educator excellence within the Polk County Public Schools system.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of 424+ tutored students made significant reading gains through AmeriCorps Polk Reads
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Duke EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke Energy sponsors the T2T/S2S Connection Grants program, supporting teacher innovation and the annual IDEA Expo for PreK-8 educators to network and learn innovative classroom practices.
• Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide organization administering the School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program that provides dollar-for-dollar matching up to $5,000 per grant. PEF participates in Support Education specialty license plate program through CFEF.
• Volunteer Florida, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for AmeriCorps Polk Reads program, providing national service framework and support for reading tutors serving K-3 students in Polk County schools.
• Grand Canyon UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with PLLS (Partners in Learning, Leading and Serving) offering 10-30% scholarship opportunities for PCPS employees and their families toward online and ground degree programs.
• Polk County School BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner as the school district PEF serves as direct-support organization for since 1988. Foundation serves as fiscal agent and manager of educational programs for PCPS.
• Citrus Center Kiwanis ClubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Take Stock in Children Golf Scholarship Scramble, helping raise funds matched dollar-for-dollar by Florida Prepaid Project STARS.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Brevard Schools Foundation: 501(c)(3) direct-support foundation for Brevard Public Schools funding scholarships, classroom grants, and teacher initiatives. Direct parallel to Polk's model with similar program mix and Florida CFEF membership.
• Hillsborough Education Foundation: Tampa-area direct-support 501(c)(3) education foundation operating scholarships, teacher grants, and student support programs for Hillsborough County Public Schools. Closely mirrors Polk's structure, programs, and revenue model in a neighboring Florida district.
• Pinellas Education Foundation: Direct-support education foundation for Pinellas County Schools offering scholarships, teacher mini-grants, and Take Stock in Children mentoring. Same operating model, same programs (including Take Stock), and same statewide CFEF affiliation as Polk.
• Orange County Public Schools Foundation: Education foundation supporting Orange County Public Schools (FL) through scholarships, classroom grants, and teacher recognition programs. Comparable in mission, structure, and district-anchored fundraising approach.
• Education Foundation of Sarasota County: Direct-support foundation for Sarasota County Schools running scholarships, teacher grants, and literacy programs. Operates the same kind of district-anchored nonprofit fundraising model that Polk Education Foundation uses.
• Lee County Education Foundation: Southwest Florida direct-support foundation for the School District of Lee County. Comparable because it mobilizes corporate sponsorships and individual donations for scholarships, classroom innovation grants, and teacher support in a single district.
• Broward Education Foundation: Large direct-support foundation for Broward County Public Schools (FL's second-largest district). Operates scholarships, Take Stock in Children, and teacher grant programs at a meaningfully larger scale — useful peer for understanding upper-bound growth potential.
• Foundation for Leon County Schools: Direct-support 501(c)(3) for Leon County Schools (Tallahassee) running scholarships, classroom grants, and signature fundraising events. Closely mirrors Polk's district-anchored nonprofit model in another mid-sized Florida district.

Broad incumbents

• Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF): Statewide umbrella network for Florida's district education foundations, including Polk Education Foundation. Comparable because CFEF administers the Support Education license plate program, School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program, and statewide advocacy that Polk participates in directly.

Regional players

• Take Stock in Children (Statewide): Statewide Florida mentoring-and-scholarship nonprofit that Polk operates as a local affiliate of. Comparable because PEF runs Take Stock in Children locally and the relationship defines part of PEF's program portfolio and student-outcomes metric.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKzBRNJBxXQbY-ZCC6Aki0A
• Facebookfacebook.com/PolkEducationFoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Polk Education Foundation