FELS

What FELS does

FELS (Foundation for Educators at LSRHS) is a Massachusetts-incorporated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2000 that awards enrichment grants to faculty and staff of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS) in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Operating under the guiding principle "Inspired Teachers Inspire Students," FELS provides grant funding of up to $2,500 per proposal to educators for professional development, fieldwork, conference attendance, workshops, creative ventures, and personal passion projects. The organization's sole "product" is the annual FELS Grant Program, administered through a manual application cycle that opens January 1st each year and is reviewed anonymously by a volunteer board that includes a faculty representative.

The organization's business model is entirely donation-funded, with revenue sourced from an Annual Appeal campaign, seasonal fundraisers (Thanksgiving Pie Sale, Spring Prom Flower Sale), and Donor Advised Fund contributions. The current annual fundraising goal is $10,000, and FELS has cumulatively disbursed close to $210,000 across nearly 160 grants since inception — averaging approximately eight grants per year. The technical footprint is minimal: a WordPress website built on the Genesis Framework with the Education Pro Theme, supporting PayPal and Just Give donation integrations. There are no paid staff, no proprietary technology platforms, and no AI or data capabilities.

Governance is exercised by a volunteer board of directors led by Co-Presidents Nancy Marshall and Tara Mitchell, with additional officers (VP, Treasurer, Secretary), seven board members including a faculty representative, and one advisory member. The 2026 grant cycle concluded on April 15, 2026 with nine recipients awarded in a ceremony attended by Superintendent-Principal Andrew Stephens. Operating geography is restricted to the Lincoln-Sudbury school community in Massachusetts, with no disclosed plans for expansion to additional schools or districts.

Name

FELS

Legal name

Foundation for Educators at LSRHS

Website

https://felsgrant.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

FELS is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2000 that awards enrichment grants of up to $2,500 to Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School faculty and staff. It is funded entirely by community donations, an annual appeal, and seasonal fundraisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Grantmaking Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Educator enrichment grants
• Nonprofit foundation
• Teacher professional development
• Education fundraising
• School community grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Sudbury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: FELS generates revenue through tax-deductible donations to annual appeals, as well as proceeds from fundraising events including Thanksgiving Pie Sales and Spring Prom Flower Sales. The organization has an annual fundraising goal of $10,000. All donations are awarded in grants to LS staff, with 100% of donations going directly to grant funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FELS (Foundation for Educators at LSRHS) is a Massachusetts-based non-profit that raises tax-deductible donations to fund enrichment grants awarded to Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS) faculty and staff. Grants support professional development travel, fieldwork, conference and workshop attendance, and creative ventures, with individual grants capped at $2,500. Operating since 2000, FELS has awarded close to 160 grants totaling nearly $210,000, funded through an annual appeal and seasonal fundraisers.

Product overview

FELS (Foundation for Educators at LSRHS) is a non-profit organization offering a single core service: enrichment grants for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School faculty and staff. The primary product is the FELS Grant Program, which funds professional and personal development projects. Supporting programs include an Annual Appeal fundraising campaign and seasonal fundraisers (Thanksgiving Pie Sale and Spring Prom Flower Sale). The grant application cycle opens annually on January 1st, with individual grants capped at $2,500.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FELS Enrichment Grant Program Annual grant program that awards funding to LSRHS teachers and staff for professional development travel, fieldwork, conference and workshop attendance, creative ventures, and personal passion projects. Each grant is capped at $2,500, with close to 160 grants and nearly $210,000 awarded since inception.
• FELS Annual Grant Application Cycle

Quantifiable outcome

• Close to 160 grants awarded since 2000, averaging 8 grants per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• DonorsChoose: Large national crowdfunding platform that lets teachers post classroom project requests funded by individual donors. Operates at vastly greater scale and focuses on classroom supplies rather than personal enrichment, but shares the core mechanic of channeling community donations directly to teachers.
• Fund for Teachers: National nonprofit that awards fellowships to pre-K–12 educators for self-designed professional learning, including travel and enrichment. Operates at far greater scale and across all U.S. schools, but is the most direct conceptual peer to FELS's teacher-enrichment grant model.
• NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship: National Education Association-affiliated foundation that awards grants and fellowships to public-school educators for professional development and global learning experiences. Comparable mission (educator enrichment via travel/learning) at national scale.

Regional players

• Education Foundation of Ashland: Typical example of the dozens of small, single-district education foundations operating across Massachusetts and the U.S. that award grants to local teachers using a volunteer board model — same structure and mission as FELS but in a different geography.
• Sudbury Education Resource Fund (SERF): Sudbury-area nonprofit that awards grants to educators in Sudbury public schools for innovative classroom projects. Closest geographic and operational peer to FELS, though serving K–8 rather than a single regional high school.

Others

• Learning for All (nonprofit): Smaller U.S. nonprofit that supports teacher-driven initiatives in high-need schools. Operates in the same education-grantmaking space and shares donor-pass-through ethos, but focuses on equity-oriented classroom projects rather than personal enrichment travel.

Emerging players

• Public Schools Foundation of Marion County: County-level education foundation that pools community donations and awards grants to teachers across multiple schools. Comparable in mission but operates at a county rather than single-school scale, illustrating the natural expansion path for FELS.

Direct peers

• Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School PTO/PTA: Parent-teacher organization serving the same Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School community. While its mandate is broader than FELS's, it competes for the same donor dollars from the same L-S parent population and operates overlapping community fundraising events.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 FELS