Schoolforce

What Schoolforce does

SchoolForce, formally the Belmont Redwood-Shores Public School Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education foundation founded in 2001 and headquartered in Belmont, California. It operates as the sole fundraising entity for the seven schools of the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District (BRSSD), raising approximately $3 million annually to supplement state education funding that ranks 47th nationally in per-student terms. The organization serves more than 4,000 TK-8th grade students by funding credentialed staff and programs that state budgets do not cover, including science and reading specialists, librarians, school counselors, music and art teachers, PE specialists, STEM coaches, and field trips.

The foundation runs a portfolio of interconnected fundraising programs: a primary Back to School Campaign (August 1 to September 30) with a suggested $2,000 per student donation, the annual Read-a-thon (which generated $223,000 from 2.4 million reading minutes), a Spring Auction and Gala, the Celebrate the Music Festival (now in its 22nd year), and tiered business sponsorships ranging from $500 Supporter to $20,000 Diamond. Since 2019, SchoolForce has consolidated fundraising through partnerships with all seven site PTAs, enabling a single donation to cover virtually all educational needs across the district. The organization also maintains the Dave Karlin SchoolForce Endowment Fund, which held approximately $2.03 million as of January 2022, and operates an Innovation Grants program that funded over 181 teacher-proposed projects totaling more than $250,000 in 2025-26.

SchoolForce does not operate proprietary technology; its operational stack consists of commodity SaaS tools including Kindful for donor management and recurring giving, Google Forms for grant applications and event tracking, and Double the Donation for corporate matching gift facilitation across 100+ employers. Governance is provided by a 20+ person volunteer board of directors, with a small paid administrative team led by an Executive Director. Revenue streams are diversified across parent donations, community giving, corporate sponsorships, employer matching programs, and endowment income, but all programmatic output is directed to a single beneficiary: BRSSD.

Name

Schoolforce

Legal name

SchoolForce - Belmont Redwood-Shores Public School Foundation

Website

https://schoolforce.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SchoolForce is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education foundation that raises approximately $3 million annually as the sole fundraising entity for all seven schools and 4,000+ TK-8th grade students in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District, funding staff and programs not covered by California state education budgets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Fundraising / K-12 Public Education Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Education fundraising
• Nonprofit foundation
• School grants program
• Community donations
• Endowment fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Belmont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Parent and Community Donations: Annual donations from parents and community members, with the primary fundraising period being the Back to School Campaign (August 1 - September 30). Recommended donation is $2,000 per student per year.
2. Business Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors at various levels (Diamond $20K, Platinum $10K, Gold $5K, Bronze $1,500, Supporter $500) providing visibility at events, in newsletters, on website and social media.
3. Corporate Matching Programs: Many employers match employee donations, effectively doubling or tripling contributions. SchoolForce maintains a database of companies offering matching gift programs.
4. Endowment Fund: The Dave Karlin SchoolForce Endowment Fund provides stable long-term funding. Balance was approximately $2,030,000 as of January 2022, including a $1.2 million contribution from Crystal Springs Uplands School.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SchoolForce is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit education foundation that raises approximately $3 million annually through parent donations, community contributions, and corporate sponsorships to supplement California state funding for the seven schools of the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District. Funds are distributed via an annual district grant and a competitive Innovation Grants program that funds 181+ teacher-proposed projects, supporting credentialed teachers in science, reading, music, art, PE, counseling, and library roles that state funding alone does not cover.

Product overview

SchoolForce is a volunteer-run non-profit education foundation (501(c)(3)) that raises approximately $3 million annually to supplement California state funding for the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District (BRSSD). The organization operates as a unified fundraising entity offering multiple interconnected programs: the Back to School Campaign as the primary annual ask ($2,000 per student); the Michelle Green Innovation Grants program funding 181+ teacher-proposed projects; seasonal events including Read-a-thon, Spring Auction/Gala, and Celebrate the Music Festival; the Dave Karlin Endowment Fund for long-term stability; corporate matching services; and business sponsorship tiers. Donations are coordinated with site PTAs to cover both district-wide staff positions (counselors, librarians, music teachers) and school-specific needs. The organization also engages youth through its Student Ambassador Program and reaches families via the Our Schools, Our Stories podcast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Michelle Green SchoolForce Innovation Grants Annual competitive grant program funding innovative educational projects proposed by BRSSD teachers and staff; in 2025-26, approved over $250,000 for 181 district-wide projects including STEM materials, sensory supports, flexible seating, books, and experiential learning.
• Back to School Campaign (Annual Giving Campaign) Annual fundraising campaign running August 1 - September 30, representing the largest campaign of the year. Supports the recommended $2,000 per student donation to fund BRSSD staff and programs.
• Read-a-thon Annual reading fundraiser held in January-February encouraging students to read and raise funds; in 2024, students read over 2.4 million minutes raising $223,000, with peer-to-peer fundraising pages and prize competitions.
• Spring Auction & Gala Annual spring event featuring online auction (March 16-29) and in-person gala (March 27), including school-based activities, experiences, camps, and superfly auction items.
• Celebrate the Music Festival Annual community music festival showcasing BRSSD student musicians and local bands; now in its 22nd year, this is the largest community event in Belmont, featuring community bands, school performances, children's activities, and food vendors.
• Dave Karlin SchoolForce Endowment Fund Board-designated endowment fund created to provide lasting legacy funding for BRSSD students, named after SchoolForce founder Dave Karlin; balance approximately $2.03 million as of January 2022, including $1.2M from Crystal Springs Uplands School.
• Corporate Matching Program Program facilitating employer matching gift donations, helping donors submit matching requests to their companies with a company lookup tool via Double the Donation integration; lists 100+ companies with matching programs including Google, Oracle, Visa, and Microsoft.
• Business Sponsorship Program Corporate sponsorship program with multiple tiers: Diamond ($20K), Platinum ($10K), Gold ($5K), Bronze ($1,500), and Supporter ($500). Sponsors receive visibility at major events, in newsletters, on website, and on social media; major sponsors include Oracle, Windy Hill PV, and Crystal Springs Uplands School.
• Student Ambassador Program Leadership program for middle and high school students (grades 7-12) supporting schools and community, with marketing, donor relations, event crew, and community outreach roles; completers receive certificate of recognition and service hours.
• PTA Partnership Program Partnership with all seven BRSSD PTAs since 2019 enabling a unified donation experience; a single donation to SchoolForce covers virtually all educational needs including staff, classroom materials, and PTA community-building events.

Quantifiable outcome

• $2,643,469 spent supporting students in 2023-24 school year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Belmont LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Belmont Library is a community sponsor of SchoolForce's Celebrate the Music Festival, providing activities through Celebrate the Music University (CTMU).
• Belmont Parks & Rec DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Belmont Parks & Rec Department is a community sponsor supporting SchoolForce events.
• BRSSD Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Since 2019, SchoolForce and all seven BRSSD PTAs have partnered to make it easier to support schools. A single donation through SchoolForce covers virtually all educational needs. The partnership enables schools to focus on students and academics.
• San Carlos Education Foundation (SCEF)minorOthersNeighboring district's education foundation used as a benchmark for comparison. SCEF has a $2,000 ask and raises $3.7M annually to support 2,950 students.
• Burlingame Community Fund (BCE)minorOthersNeighboring district's education foundation used as a benchmark. BCE raises $2.8M plus PTA contributions of $500,000 annually with a $2,000 ask plus a $250 PTA ask.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• San Carlos Education Foundation (SCEF): Neighboring San Mateo County district education foundation explicitly cited as a peer benchmark by SchoolForce. SCEF operates an identical model with a $2,000 ask and raises ~$3.7M annually to support 2,950 students in the San Carlos School District.
• Burlingame Community for Education (BCE) Foundation: Neighboring San Mateo County district foundation cited by SchoolForce as a peer benchmark. BCE raises ~$2.8M plus PTA contributions of ~$500K using a $2,000 per-student ask plus a $250 PTA ask — virtually identical operating model serving a comparable district.
• Menlo Park Education Foundation (MPEF): Peninsula-based district education foundation raising private funds to supplement public school funding. Operates the same parent-driven nonprofit model targeting a similar demographic of well-resourced families supplementing California public school budgets.
• Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE): Peninsula education foundation supporting Palo Alto Unified School District with annual fundraising through parent and corporate donations. The largest comparable Peninsula education foundation; operates the same foundation-for-public-schools model targeting tech-employer corporate matching.
• San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation (SMFC EF): San Mateo County district education foundation in the same county as BRSSD. Operates a comparable fundraising model that supplements state funding with parent and corporate donations — directly comparable in geography and operating approach.
• Ravenswood Education Foundation: Southern San Mateo County education foundation serving Ravenswood City School District with a comparable nonprofit fundraising model. Similar structure providing enrichment funding where state funding falls short in California.
• Las Lomitas Education Foundation (LLEF): Peninsula education foundation serving Las Lomitas Elementary School District in Atherton/La Honda. Operates the same parent-driven annual campaign model with corporate sponsorship tiers and grants to teachers and programs.

Regional players

• Sequoia Union High School District Foundation: Education foundation for the Sequoia Union High School District serving Redwood City, San Carlos, and Belmont — the feeder high school district for BRSSD graduates. Operates in the same geographic market with a comparable fundraising model for public schools.

Others

• Crystal Springs Uplands School: Independent K-12 school and the largest single donor to SchoolForce's endowment ($1.2M contribution 2018-2022). Acts as a strategic funding partner and ecosystem stakeholder rather than a competitor, illustrating the cross-school philanthropy model SchoolForce cultivates.
• Peninsula Education Foundation Network (PEFN): Regional consortium of Peninsula school foundations, including many direct peers of SchoolForce (Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Burlingame). Functions as a peer ecosystem and learning network rather than a competitor, but represents the broader organizational category SchoolForce operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SchoolForce
• Instagraminstagram.com/schoolforce
• Xx.com/School_Force1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schoolforce-the-belmont-redwood-shores-public-school-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Schoolforce