Hillsborough Education Foundation

What Hillsborough Education Foundation does

Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida, that supports public education across Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS). The foundation operates a portfolio of programs serving three beneficiary groups: students (preschool through high school), teachers, and schools. Core programs include Take Stock in Children (mentoring plus Florida Prepaid scholarships for grades 6–9), SCOPE/Student Center of Postsecondary Exploration (college and career coaching now in all 29 HCPS high schools), the Transforming Early Literacy Initiative/TELI (literacy coaches in 16 Title I elementary schools), Tech Connect (computers and Wi-Fi for at-risk students), the Teaching Tools Resource Center (free school supplies for HCPS teachers), Classroom Grants ($100–$5,000), the STEAM Lending Library (Pre-K–5 kits), Excellence in Education Awards, and CEOs in Schools.

Name

Hillsborough Education Foundation

Legal name

Hillsborough Education Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://educationfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hillsborough Education Foundation is a Tampa-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers educational programs — scholarships, literacy coaching, college/career readiness, digital equity, and free supplies — directly to students, teachers, and schools within Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Foundation / Public Education Philanthropy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (61)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• K-12 education foundation
• Student scholarship programs
• Teacher resource center
• Early literacy initiative
• Public school nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individuals supporting public education in Hillsborough County. The foundation emphasizes that 94 cents of every dollar invested goes directly to HEF initiatives supporting students, teachers, and schools.
2. Planned Giving: Legacy gifts including endowments, donor-advised funds, bequests, charitable gift annuities, IRA charitable rollovers, and beneficiary designations that create long-term sustainable funding.
3. License to Learn Program: Florida specialty license plate sales generate $20 per plate directly to the foundation, supporting programs not covered by tax dollars.
4. Amazon Wish List Donations: In-kind donations of school supplies purchased through Amazon Wish List and shipped directly to the foundation's office.
5. Volunteer Support: Volunteers contribute time and talent, including mentors meeting with students weekly, event support, and administrative assistance, amplifying program delivery capacity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hillsborough Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises and distributes funds to support Hillsborough County Public Schools. It runs a portfolio of free programs for students (Take Stock in Children mentoring and scholarships, Senior Scholarships of $500-$20,000, Tech Connect digital equity, SCOPE college and career coaching), for teachers (Teaching Tools Resource Center, Classroom Grants of $100-$5,000, STEAM Lending Library, Excellence in Education Awards), and for schools (TELI early literacy in Title I schools, CEOs in Schools, parent and family engagement). Programs are funded through individual donations, planned giving, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and the Florida License to Learn specialty plate.

Product overview

Hillsborough Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that offers a portfolio of educational support programs rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include: Take Stock in Children (mentoring and scholarships for 6th-9th graders), Senior Scholarships ($500-$20,000 awards), Transforming Early Literacy Initiative (TELI, literacy coaching in Title I schools), Tech Connect (digital equity with computers and Wi-Fi), Teaching Tools Resource Center (free school supplies), SCOPE (college/career readiness at 29 high schools), Classroom Grants ($100-$5,000 for educators), STEAM Lending Library (lending kits for Pre-K-5), Excellence in Education Awards, CEOs in Schools, and Family Literacy Workshops. These programs support students, teachers, and schools across Hillsborough County Public Schools district.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Take Stock in Children (TSIC): A mentoring and scholarship program for high-achieving, low-income students in grades 6-9, offering mentors, scholarships, and support services.
• SCOPE (Student Center of Postsecondary Exploration)
• TELI (Transforming Early Literacy Initiative)
• Tech Connect
• Teaching Tools Resource Center (TTRC)

Products and services

• Take Stock in Children Mentoring and scholarship program for high-achieving, low-income 6th-9th grade students in Hillsborough County Public Schools. Pairs students with volunteer mentors and provides minimum two-year Florida Prepaid Scholarships plus college-readiness support.
• Senior Scholarships Program Scholarship awards ranging from $500 to $20,000 for high school seniors in Hillsborough County pursuing university, community college, or technical school. Over 100 named scholarships available through dedicated application cycles.
• Transforming Early Literacy Initiative (TELI) Early literacy program providing full-time literacy coaches and in-class support for educators in Title I elementary schools. Designed to close early-literacy gaps in under-resourced schools, with documented impact including elimination of kindergarten readiness gaps at half of participating schools and a 4-point average STAR Early Literacy improvement.
• Tech Connect Digital equity initiative providing computers, one year of Wi-Fi access, digital skills coaching, and ongoing support to at-risk students and families identified through HCPS school counselors, teachers, and administrators.
• Teaching Tools Resource Center (TTRC) Free school-supply warehouse at the HEF Tampa headquarters providing supplies, classroom materials, and instructional resources to full-time instructional staff at Hillsborough County Public Schools. Open by appointment on a regular weekly schedule.
• SCOPE (Student Center of Postsecondary Exploration) College and career readiness program providing in-school, personalized 1:1 coaching for postsecondary planning. Delivered through dedicated college-and-career centers in each of the 29 Hillsborough County public high schools.
• Classroom Grants Program Grant funding program for HCPS educators and administrators. Teachers may apply for $100-$2,500 and principals up to $5,000 for school-wide initiatives. Covers STEAM, arts, literacy, wellness, and hands-on learning experiences that state funding does not cover.
• STEAM Lending Library Lending program providing Pre-K through 5th grade STEAM classroom kits covering coding, measurements, physics, mathematics, and energy concepts. Kits available for four-week loan periods reserved online and picked up at the HEF Tampa headquarters.
• Excellence in Education Awards Annual awards event celebrating outstanding HCPS educators and school personnel across three categories: Teacher of the Year, Instructional Support Employee of the Year, and Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year.
• CEOs in Schools Program connecting business leaders with elementary school principals through one-day shadowing events, providing leadership insights and ongoing mentorship and resource partnerships. Co-developed with Vistra Communications.
• Family Literacy Workshops (Parent and Family Engagement) Family literacy workshops held at local HCPS schools throughout the school year, providing interactive activities and resources to help parents support their children's reading development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $33 million in free school supplies distributed since inception
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Florida Take Stock in Children (State Program)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2025State-level program partner providing scholarship framework, Florida Prepaid scholarships, and program guidelines for local Take Stock in Children initiative.
• Vistra CommunicationsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-developer of CEOs in Schools initiative, connecting business leaders with elementary school principals. Vistra Communications co-brands and co-leads the program with HEF.
• Pinellas Education FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Annual partner for Tampa Bay School Supply Drive, collecting supplies for over 200,000 public school students in need across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
• Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Primary strategic partner for all HEF programs. HCPS collaborates with HEF on SCOPE (Student Center of Postsecondary Exploration), Take Stock in Children, Teaching Tools Resource Center, TELI, Tech Connect, and school-based initiatives. Van Ayres, Superintendent, serves on HEF Board.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Foundation for Tampa Bay Schools: Tampa Bay regional education support organization listed among HEF's cornerstone partners. Operates with overlapping teacher-support and classroom grant programs in the same geography, making it a partial substitute and fundraising peer for the same donor pool.
• Pasco Education Foundation: Adjacent-county education foundation operating the same teacher grants, scholarship, and student support model for Pasco County Schools. Serves the same Tampa Bay donor market and faces identical programmatic design questions, making it a useful replication peer for HEF.

Others

• Community Foundation of Tampa Bay: TELI initiative partner and recurring grant provider ($40K awards documented in 2023 and 2025). Operates as a regional grantmaking intermediary that funnels donor-advised funds and competitive grants to HEF and other education nonprofits in the same service area.
• Consortium of Florida Education Foundations: Statewide network that recognized HEF with its Exemplary rating. Connects 80+ county-level education foundations across Florida, providing shared services, advocacy, and the School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program that materially multiplies HEF's donor impact.
• Children's Board of Hillsborough County: Major public-sector funder of HEF's Tech Connect digital equity initiative. Allocates county tax dollars to children's services including education, creating an overlapping funder role and indirect programmatic peer in early childhood and K-12 support across the same district.

Direct peers

• Pinellas Education Foundation: Neighboring county education foundation explicitly partnered with HEF on the Tampa Bay School Supply Drive serving 200,000+ students. Operates the same model — scholarships, teacher supplies, Take Stock in Children, classroom grants — for Pinellas County Public Schools, making it the closest 1:1 structural peer.
• Helios Education Foundation: Primary funder and strategic partner of HEF's TELI program. Operates as a regional education foundation focused on college access and early literacy across Florida and Arizona, with a similar mix of grantmaking, programmatic work, and school district partnerships, but at a larger geographic and capital scale.
• Take Stock in Children (state program): Statewide umbrella for the Take Stock in Children mentoring-and-scholarship model that HEF operates locally. Sets program standards, Florida Prepaid scholarship framework, and mentor guidelines that HEF implements at the county level.

Emerging players

• United Way Suncoast: Cornerstone partner and SCOPE program sponsor. Operates broader community-impact funding across the Tampa Bay region but with significant overlap in education grantmaking, volunteer mobilization, and student-support funding that competes for similar philanthropic dollars.
• Dale Mabry Area Education Foundation: Smaller, school-cluster-focused education foundation operating in the Tampa area with a narrower geographic footprint but comparable teacher grants and student support programming. Represents the kind of single-school-district peer HEF effectively outscales.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Hillsedufnd
• Facebookfacebook.com/educationfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hillsborough-education-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/hillsedufnd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 Hillsborough Education Foundation