Lake Washington Schools Foundation

What Lake Washington Schools Foundation does

Lake Washington Schools Foundation (LWSF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Redmond, Washington, that raises and directs charitable funds to support students of the Lake Washington School District across Redmond, Kirkland, and Sammamish. The foundation operates a portfolio of 17 distinct programs organized around four strategic pillars: Removing Barriers, Supporting Wellness, Building Connections, and Enhancing Learning. Signature initiatives include Pantry Packs (weekly weekend food for 1,100+ food-insecure students across 43+ schools), Care Solace (24/7 multilingual mental health coordination across 560,000+ providers), Calming Corners (high-school wellness spaces), Youth Mental Health First Aid and QPR training, LINKS Lunch Buddy mentoring, Pantry Packs warehouse operations, Amazing Reading Challenge and Battle of the Books reading competitions, Inclusive Libraries (6,500+ diverse books across 46 schools), Find Your Fit college counseling, Students of Color Conference Scholarships, ParentEd Talks and SEL for Parents workshops, Kids Coming Together service events, and Noticias Spanish-language family communications. The technology stack is intentionally minimal — standard nonprofit tools coordinate program delivery; no platform, API, or proprietary AI/ML capability is offered, with impact delivery instead routed through school-district staff, volunteers, and a school-ambassador network at each site.

The foundation's revenue model is donation-driven, drawing from individual giving (online portal, checks, stock transfers, DAFs, QCDs from IRAs, estate gifts), corporate sponsorships at $1,000-$25,000+ tiers, workplace giving and matching gifts, foundation grants, signature event fundraising (Be the Bridge Spring Benefit raised $260K+ in 2026), and program-specific pricing such as Pantry Packs sponsorships at $35/student/month and SEL workshops at $40/participant. Customer/beneficiary segments are stratified: the primary vertical is K-12 students in LWSD, with horizontal segments including families/parents, LWSD teachers and staff, and corporate community partners. Distribution is in-school and district-coordinated; the foundation holds no parent company, no subsidiaries, and is governed by a Board of Trustees whose leadership includes Microsoft executives, signaling strong Eastside corporate ties. Recognized with Candid Platinum Transparency, Charity Navigator, and Great Nonprofits badges, LWSF operates as a high-trust, low-overhead community foundation with a five-person staff managing district-wide impact.

Name

Lake Washington Schools Foundation

Legal name

Lake Washington Schools Foundation

Website

https://lwsf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lake Washington Schools Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises and directs funds to deliver 17 educational support programs — including food security, mental health, literacy, mentoring, and college preparation — for over 30,000 students in the Lake Washington School District across Redmond, Kirkland, and Sammamish.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Foundation and Student Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Child and Youth Services (62411), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

Keywords

• Educational foundation services
• Student wellness programs
• Community fundraising initiatives
• School district partnerships
• Nonprofit education support

Headquarters

HQ city

Redmond

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. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals through online portal, mail-in checks, stock transfers, Donor-Advised Funds, Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs, and estate planned gifts.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Community partner sponsorships from businesses at various tiers ($1,000 to $25,000+) providing visibility, recognition, and marketing benefits in exchange for financial support.
3. Workplace Giving: Corporate workplace giving programs including payroll deduction, matching gifts, and United Way campaign designations.
4. Event Fundraising: Revenue from signature events like Be the Bridge Spring Benefit, including ticket sales, sponsorships, auction items, and paddle raises.
5. Foundation Grants: Grants from private foundations such as William E. Wockner Foundation and Windermere Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Lake Washington Schools Foundation raises charitable donations and corporate sponsorships, then deploys the funds into a portfolio of educational support programs that remove barriers, support wellness, enhance learning, and build connections for the 30,000+ K-12 students in the Lake Washington School District. Core offerings include weekend food security via Pantry Packs, mental health care coordination via Care Solace, reading competitions and inclusive library grants, one-on-one mentoring, college counseling, parent education webinars, and scholarships.

Product overview

Lake Washington Schools Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of educational support programs for the Lake Washington School District. The Foundation operates as a unified program portfolio rather than a technology platform, providing: student nutrition support through Pantry Packs; literacy initiatives including Amazing Reading Challenge, Battle of the Books, and Inclusive Libraries; mental health services including Care Solace coordination, Calming Corners, and Youth Mental Health Training; mentoring through the LINKS Lunch Buddy Program; college preparation via Find Your Fit and Students of Color Conference Scholarships; parent education through ParentEd Talks and Social Emotional Learning for Parents; community engagement events including Be the Bridge Spring Benefit and Kids Coming Together; communication support through Noticias de BSD y LWSD; and financial support for Student Lunch Debt.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Amazing Reading Challenge A district-wide reading competition for elementary students in grades 3-5 across 23 LWSD elementary schools, with building-based competitions, semi-finals, and a final competition that engages students with diverse texts and develops interpersonal skills and reading comprehension.
• Battle of the Books A district-wide reading competition at all LWSD middle schools and four elementary schools where student teams answer questions about selected books, promoting reading comprehension, academic excellence, and cooperative learning; over 7,000 students participate each year.
• Calming Corners Designated safe spaces in LWSD high schools with reduced sensory stimuli for students experiencing stress or anxiety, funded through collaboration with high school counselors and stocked with calming items.
• Care Solace A 24/7/365 multilingual mental health care coordination service available to all LWSD students, families, and staff regardless of insurance status, connecting users with a network of over 560,000 mental health providers in over 200 languages.
• Find Your Fit A college counseling program providing webinars and interactive workshops to help LWSD high school students and families navigate the college application process, led by independent college counselor Mary Pat O'Neil.
• Inclusive Libraries A five-year grant program partnering with LWSD equity efforts to increase library collection diversity, funding librarians to conduct diversity audits and purchase books that provide mirrors, windows, and sliding doors for students across 46 schools.
• LINKS Lunch Buddy Program A one-on-one mentoring program matching caring adult volunteers with students who benefit from additional attention, supporting social-emotional development through weekly 45-minute school sessions.
• Pantry Packs A weekend food pack program providing meals for over 1,100 food-insecure LWSD students each week, with volunteers packing and delivering food to more than 43 participating schools from September through June.
• ParentEd Talks A dynamic series of parent education webinars delivered in partnership with ParentMap, providing free access to parenting experts covering topics including resilience, screen time, independence, and youth mental wellness.
• Social Emotional Learning for Parents A hands-on, interactive 4-part workshop series (4 weekly 2-hour sessions, $40 per participant) teaching parents essential SEL skills including emotional regulation, empathy building, conflict management, and parenting confidence, with scholarships available.
• Youth Mental Health Training Training programs including Youth Mental Health First Aid (6-hour certification course), QPR Suicide Prevention (90-minute course) for LWSD staff, and Teen Mental Health First Aid for students.
• Noticias de BSD y LWSD A weekly Spanish-language video newsletter providing culturally-relevant communications for Spanish-speaking and Latinx families in the LWSD and BSD communities.
• Mental Health Events in Schools On-campus mental health awareness events at LWSD high schools including interactive trivia games, snack distribution with positive messages, and assemblies featuring mental health professionals and motivational speakers.
• Kids Coming Together A community service program for kids in grades 3-8 facilitated by high school student volunteers that develops lasting relationships through intentionally scaled projects.
• Students of Color Conference Scholarships Scholarships for graduating LWSD seniors to attend the Students of Color Conference, supporting post-secondary opportunities including four-year universities, community colleges, technical training, and vocational schools.
• Student Lunch Debt A fundraising initiative to clear school meal debt for graduating seniors, ensuring students can celebrate milestones without the burden of unpaid meal balances.
• Be the Bridge Spring Benefit LWSF's signature annual fundraiser and community event bringing together supporters, community leaders, educators, and students for one evening of celebration and fundraising for district-wide student programs.
• Agents of Impact An annual real estate professional sponsorship program celebrating leaders who champion education and community, with partnerships starting at $1,000 and including website listings, marketing badges, and exclusive event invitations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,100 students receive weekend food packs weekly; 36,000+ packs delivered annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and support.

• City of RedmondcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2024Joint partnership with LWSD and City of Redmond to fund Care Solace mental health coordination services. The city provides funding to support mental health services for students, families, and staff in the community, offering 24/7 multilingual support through a network of 560,000+ providers.
• Lake Washington School District (LWSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2024Primary strategic partner for all programs. LWSF raises funds and amplifies community resources to provide LWSD students what they need to thrive. The school district provides infrastructure, staff coordination, and program implementation support.
• Lake Washington PTSA CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partner providing partial funding for Calming Corners project at high schools. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to child advocacy that collaborates with LWSF on student wellness initiatives.
• High School Counselors (LWSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership with high school counselors to design and implement Calming Corners - safe spaces for students experiencing anxiety or overwhelm. Counselors help select items and oversee space usage.
• Care SolacecoreTechnology or IntegrationMental health care coordination service provider funded by LWSF, LWSD, and City of Redmond. Offers 24/7/365 multilingual support in over 200 languages with a network of 560,000+ providers.
• Fred MeyersupportGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity Rewards partner allowing shoppers to link their rewards card to LWSF for automatic donations. Also provides in-kind food donations for Pantry Packs program.
• QFCsupportGTM or Marketing PartnerIn-kind food donor for Pantry Packs program, providing food items for weekend food packs for food-insecure students.
• Trader Joe'ssupportGTM or Marketing PartnerIn-kind food donor for Pantry Packs program, contributing food items for weekend food packs.
• CostcosupportGTM or Marketing PartnerIn-kind food donor for Pantry Packs program, providing bulk food items for weekend food packs.
• SodexosupportGTM or Marketing PartnerIn-kind contributor to LINKS Lunch Buddy Program and community partner at the $5,000-$9,999 tier, supporting student nutrition and mentorship programs.
• Bellevue School DistrictsupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Noticias weekly Spanish-language video newsletter collaboration, supporting Hispanic/Latino families across both districts.
• Bellevue Schools FoundationsupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Noticias Spanish-language video newsletter supporting equitable communication for Spanish-speaking families.
• Eastside PathwayssupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner in Noticias initiative supporting Hispanic/Latino family communications and resources.
• Equity in Communication Collaborative Action NetworksupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Noticias Spanish-language video newsletter supporting equitable access to school communications.
• Kids Coming TogethercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLWSF supports this separate organization that provides community service events for kids grades 3-8. LWSF funding enables program delivery and expansion.
• ParentMap (ParentEd Talks)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partnership providing ParentEd Talks - a dynamic series of parent education webinars. LWSF provides free access to LWSD community through this partnership with ParentMap.
• Angela Birney (Mayor of Redmond)supportStrategic or Co-development PartnerRedmond Mayor supporting Care Solace mental health partnership as part of city-wide wellness initiative.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Eastside Pathways: Eastside-focused collective impact organization working on educational equity across multiple Eastside districts including LWSD. Operates as a collaborative network rather than direct service provider, making it a complementary regional player to LWSF.

Others

• National PTA: National K-12 parent advocacy and support organization. LWSF's work overlaps with PTSA council partners (Lake Washington PTSA Council), but PTA operates at national scale as an enabling/ecosystem organization rather than a direct service foundation.

Direct peers

• Seattle Public Schools Foundation: Education foundation serving Seattle Public Schools with equity-focused programs, mental health initiatives, and college/career readiness. Larger scale than LWSF but operates the same K-12 support nonprofit model with district-wide programming.
• Tacoma Public Schools Foundation: Peer education foundation serving Tacoma Public Schools with student wellness, academic enrichment, and equity programs. Highly comparable nonprofit structure and program portfolio.
• Issaquah Schools Foundation: Peer foundation serving the Issaquah School District with classroom grants, family support programs, and community fundraising events. Highly comparable in mission, structure, and Eastside Puget Sound geography.
• Bellevue Schools Foundation: Direct peer operating as a 501(c)(3) education foundation serving the Bellevue School District with a comparable model of school-based programs, corporate partnerships, and community-led fundraising. Already collaborates with LWSF on the Noticias Spanish-language newsletter, making it the closest functional twin.
• Highline Schools Foundation: Foundation supporting Highline Public Schools with similar programs in literacy, college access, and basic needs. Comparable in mission and fundraising model.
• Northshore Schools Foundation: Adjacent district education foundation serving Northshore School District (Bothell, Kenmore, Woodinville). Operates a similar portfolio of student support programs, food security initiatives, and mental health services funded by corporate sponsorships and community donations.

Broad incumbents

• Foundation for Tacoma Students: Larger, broader regional education nonprofit working across multiple Pierce County districts. Operates similar wraparound student supports at greater geographic scale, offering a model for what LWSF could become with regional expansion.
• United Way of King County: Major regional nonprofit that funnels workplace giving and grants to education and social-service organizations including school foundations. LWSF participates in United Way workplace giving campaigns, making it both a partner and a higher-tier incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lwsfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/LakeWashingtonSchoolsFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-washington-schools-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/lakewaschoolsfoundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Lake Washington Schools Foundation