Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation

What Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation does

The Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF) is a California-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Federal Tax ID 94-2871701) founded in 1982 to supplement public funding for the Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD). Its sole programmatic beneficiary is MPCSD, which comprises four K-8 schools (Encinal, Laurel, Oak Knoll, and Hillview) serving roughly 3,000 students. The Foundation exists specifically to offset the funding gap created by California's Proposition 13, which reduced state school funding such that only 10% of MPCSD's budget now comes from state/federal sources (covering approximately 21 days of school per year).

MPAEF generates donations through multiple community-driven channels: the One Community Campaign (OCC), which since 2019 has unified MPAEF and PTO fall fundraising into a single ask; the annual Spring Auction (the 2026 event raised $506,000+); the Schoolhouse Rocks Run & Festival drawing 1,500+ participants; monthly Dine Out promotions with local restaurants; shopping rebate programs; employer matching gifts; and the Business & Real Estate Partner Program. It also manages the MPAEF Endowment for Excellence in Teaching (established 2003), the Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grants program for teacher-led classroom innovation (launched 1984), and the Friends of MPAEF extended community donor program. For the 2025-2026 school year, MPAEF granted $4.1 million to fund 43 teachers and school specialists across art, science, music, counseling, and library programs, plus a $200,000+ endowment roll-off supporting professional development for 250 teachers.

The organization is volunteer-governed by a 60+ member parent Board of Directors with representation from all four schools and is operationally run by four paid staff (Executive Director Carrie Chen, Operations Manager Kendall Hofstetter, plus part-time event and data specialists). Cumulative giving to MPCSD exceeds $60 million since 2009, and MPAEF holds expenses at approximately 10% of revenues. There is no proprietary technology product; the Foundation's "products" are fundraising programs whose outputs are unrestricted grants to the district.

Name

Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation

Legal name

Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation

Website

https://mpaef.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MPAEF enables excellence in our schools by investing in arts and science, innovation and technology, guidance and wellness.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Nonprofit Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Education fundraising
• Nonprofit foundation
• School grants
• Teacher innovation grants
• Community fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

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

Revenue model

1. Parent and Family Donations: The primary revenue stream comes from donations by MPCSD district families through the annual One Community Campaign (OCC) and direct MPAEF donations. For 2025-2026, MPAEF granted $4.1 million to the school district to fund 43 teachers and school specialists.
2. Business and Real Estate Partner Program: Local businesses contribute through sponsorship of events, auction donations, and direct donations. The Business & Real Estate Partners Chair facilitates these relationships.
3. Endowment Gifts: The MPAEF Endowment for Excellence in Teaching, established in 2003, accepts permanent gifts invested in perpetuity. The 2024-2025 fiscal year included a $200,000 roll-off granted to the district for teacher professional development.
4. Spring Auction: Annual auction party with live and silent auctions, Fund-a-Need drive, and in-kind donations. The 2026 auction raised over $506,000 from the party, online auction, and Fund-a-Need combined.
5. Schoolhouse Rocks Run & Festival: Annual community run/walk event with family sponsorships and donations. Attracts over 1,500 community members annually.
6. Dine Out and Shopping Programs: Monthly dining promotions with local restaurants and shopping rebate programs with local merchants that generate donations while supporters shop or dine.
7. Employer Matching: Many employers match charitable contributions, allowing donors to double their impact through corporate matching programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MPAEF is a community-funded nonprofit foundation that raises private donations from MPCSD families, local businesses, and community members and grants the proceeds to the Menlo Park City School District to fund teachers, specialists, and innovative classroom programs. Its core offerings include the annual One Community Campaign (combined with school PTOs), the Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grants for teacher projects, the MPAEF Endowment for Excellence in Teaching, and recurring fundraising events such as the Spring Auction and Schoolhouse Rocks Run.

Product overview

Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF) is a nonprofit fundraising organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist of fundraising programs and community engagement initiatives: the annual One Community Campaign (OCC) as the primary unified fundraising drive; the Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grants program for teacher-initiated classroom projects; the MPAEF Endowment for Excellence in Teaching for long-term professional development funding; the Spring Auction as a major annual fundraising event; the Schoolhouse Rocks Run & Festival community run; Dine Out and Shopping Promotions for ongoing retail partnerships; and the Business & Real Estate Partner Program for corporate sponsorship. These programs work together to generate the $4.1 million annual grant to MPCSD that funds 43 teachers and specialists across art, science, music, counseling, and library programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One Community Campaign (OCC) Annual combined fundraising campaign partnering MPAEF with school PTOs to consolidate fall fundraising into a single donation, directing proceeds to both organizations to support teachers and programs in the community-funded Menlo Park City School District.
• Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grants Annual grant program enabling MPCSD teachers to apply for funding to implement innovative classroom projects and educational experiences beyond standard curriculum.
• MPAEF Endowment for Excellence in Teaching Permanent, self-sustaining fund that accepts endowment gifts invested in perpetuity and provides ongoing support for MPCSD professional development and K-8 educational leadership, including an annual roll-off grant.
• Spring Auction Annual fundraising event featuring live and silent auctions, Fund-a-Need drive, and online auction to raise money for MPCSD schools; the 2026 auction raised over $506,000 from the party, online auction, and Fund-a-Need combined.
• Schoolhouse Rocks Run & Festival Annual community run/walk event with family sponsorships and donations that attracts over 1,500 community members to raise funds for Menlo Park City School District schools.
• Dine Out Program Monthly dining promotion partnering with local restaurants where a portion of sales benefits MPAEF schools.
• Shopping Promotions Partnership program with local merchants providing shopping rebates throughout the school year that benefit donors and schools.
• Business & Real Estate Partner Program Partnership program inviting local businesses and real estate firms to support MPAEF through event sponsorships, auction donations, and direct contributions in exchange for community recognition.

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Water ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023California Water Service partnered with MPAEF as part of the Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grants program to support water conservation focused grant projects. Through this partnership, four projects were funded during the 2023-2024 school year, including the Save Our Scraps composting project at Encinal Elementary School.
• School PTOs (Parent-Teacher Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Starting Fall 2019, MPAEF partnered with school PTOs on the One Community Campaign (OCC), combining PTO and MPAEF fall fundraising into one unified ask. This makes the purpose of parent giving clearer and the donation process easier with one gift supporting both organizations. Both MPAEF and PTOs provide essential resources to support teachers and programs in the community-funded school district.
• Sequoia Union High School DistrictminorOthersAll four MPCSD schools (Encinal, Laurel, Oak Knoll, Hillview) feed into the Sequoia Union High School District for grades 9-12. This is a natural progression pathway rather than a formal partnership.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Palo Alto Education Foundation (PAEF): PAEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that raises private funds to support Palo Alto Unified School District teachers, programs, and enrichment. It is the closest structural peer to MPAEF, operating an analogous parent-led fundraising, auction, and annual-grant model in an adjacent high-income Bay Area district.
• Los Altos Education Foundation (LAEF): LAEF raises and grants funds to the Los Altos School District, funding art, music, science, and other programs not covered by public dollars. It mirrors MPAEF's model of parent donations, business partnerships, and an annual community fundraising campaign.
• Las Lomitas Education Foundation (LLEF): LLEF funds programs for the Las Lomitas Elementary School District in Atherton and Menlo Park, geographically overlapping MPAEF. It runs a similar parent-donation and community-event fundraising model supporting teachers and enrichment programs.
• Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF): MVEF raises private funds to support the Mountain View Whisman School District, with a comparable parent-led fundraising structure, business sponsorships, and annual grant cycle for art, science, and music programs.
• San Carlos Education Foundation (SCEF): SCEF is a parent-run nonprofit foundation funding San Carlos School District programs not covered by public budgets. It uses an annual campaign, auction-style events, and business partnerships analogous to MPAEF's One Community Campaign.
• Burlingame Education Foundation: BEF funds programs for the Burlingame School District through annual giving, auctions, and community events. It mirrors MPAEF's structure and mission of supplementing public school funding with private donations.
• San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation: The Education Foundation for San Mateo-Foster City supports that district with annual fundraising campaigns and community events. It shares MPAEF's parent-led, event-driven funding model for K-8 enrichment.

Regional players

• Sequoia Healthcare District: Sequoia Healthcare District is a public agency serving southern San Mateo County, including parts of the Menlo Park-Atherton area, funding health and wellness programs. It is comparable to MPAEF in that both channel community resources into district-level services for the same geography.
• Portola Valley Education Foundation: A small community education foundation supporting Portola Valley School District, operating with a parent-donation model similar to MPAEF but in a different, lower-density district.

Others

• PTAs and PTOs (school-level parent organizations): Individual school PTOs are complementary to MPAEF—often co-fundraising via the One Community Campaign. They are ecosystem participants rather than direct competitors but materially affect MPAEF's donor coordination and event participation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mpaef
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/menlo-park-atherton-education-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation