Name

Carroll Education Foundation

Legal name

Carroll Education Foundation

Website

https://carrolleducationfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Philanthropy / Nonprofit Education Foundation

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Education philanthropy
• Teacher funding programs
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Community education grants
• Corporate sponsorship events

Headquarters

HQ city

Southlake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from CISD families and community members via one-time or monthly recurring gifts, supporting the Teacher Fund to provide end-of-year appreciation gifts to all classroom teachers.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorship tiers (Presenting, Title, and dollar-based levels from $1,000 to $10,000+) from local and regional businesses including Park Place Grapevine, Sewell Automotive Companies, DFW Elite Realty, and others, in exchange for recognition at events and across CEF platforms.
3. Annual Giving Campaigns: Structured annual giving programs including the 'Friend of CEF' level ($365/year), Superintendent's Circle ($10,000+), and Giving Tuesday Teacher Telethon, providing recurring and campaign-based donation opportunities.
4. Culinary Celebration Gala: Annual flagship fundraising gala featuring local chefs, paddle raises, and challenge matches. The 2026 event raised $597,000. Generates significant single-event revenue and donor acquisition.
5. Planned Giving & Securities: Accepts planned gifts including donor-advised funds, bequests, and gifts of life insurance, as well as stock and securities donations (CEF Tax ID: 75-2638646), enabling legacy giving and tax-advantaged contributions.
6. Challenge Match Donations: Major donors such as Aisha and Stephen Gillett offer challenge match pledges during fundraising events (e.g., $150,000 match), amplifying community giving by matching or exceeding contributions made during the event period.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Carroll Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that channels community donations and corporate sponsorships into direct financial support for every Carroll ISD classroom teacher. Its primary program, the Teacher Fund, delivers three pillars: end-of-year appreciation gifts ($2,500 per teacher), Teacher of the Year awards ($1,000 campus / $5,000 district), and scholarships for advanced degrees. Supporting programs include Club Charlie (kindergarten engagement), Superintendent's Circle (major donor recognition), the annual Culinary Celebration gala, and the Giving Tuesday Telethon.

Product overview

Carroll Education Foundation (CEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as a single integrated giving platform rather than a technology product. The foundation's portfolio consists of teacher funding programs centered on the Teacher Fund as the core offering, supplemented by donor engagement programs (Club Charlie, Superintendent's Circle), annual events (Culinary Celebration gala, Giving Tuesday Telethon), recognition programs (Teacher of the Year Awards), professional development grants (Teacher Scholarships), and planned giving options. All programs work together to achieve CEF's mission of funding ALL Dragon teachers at Carroll ISD through direct financial support and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teacher Fund (End-of-Year Appreciation Gifts) The core giving program of Carroll Education Foundation: provides a $2,500 end-of-year appreciation gift to every classroom teacher in Carroll ISD (Dragon Nation), including Librarians, CARE, ESL, and SPED teachers. Funded by community donations, annual giving, and corporate sponsorships.
• Teacher of the Year Awards Annual awards program recognizing exceptional educators in Carroll ISD. Campus Teachers of the Year receive $1,000 cash awards; District Teachers of the Year receive $5,000. Campus-level sponsorship opportunities are available to underwrite each award.
• Teacher Scholarships Scholarships available to all Carroll ISD teachers pursuing advanced degrees and any staff member working toward becoming a teacher. Supports professional development and certification pathways as a core pillar of CEF's funding model.
• Club Charlie Welcome program for kindergarten students and families at Carroll ISD elementary schools, featuring yard signs and a competitive fundraising challenge among campuses. Drives early engagement with CISD families and is sponsored by Thomas & Sharon Michael with DFW Elite Realty.
• Culinary Celebration Gala Annual flagship fundraising gala featuring local chefs, culinary experiences, paddle raises, and challenge matches. Presented by Park Place Grapevine. The 2026 event raised $597,000 to support Dragon teachers.
• Superintendent's Circle Major donor recognition program for contributions of $10,000 or more to the CEF Teacher Fund. Includes exclusive events such as the Superintendent's Circle Mix and Mingle Cocktail Party and Superintendent's Circle Dinner with direct engagement with the Carroll ISD Superintendent. Sewell Automotive Companies serves as Title Sponsor.
• Giving Tuesday Teacher Telethon Annual Giving Tuesday telethon campaign to raise funds for all Dragon teachers, featuring text-to-donate capability ('Telethon' to 44321), online donation links, and a campus-based fundraising competition. Origin Bank sponsors the campus challenge component.
• Stocks & Securities / Planned Giving Planned giving options including donor-advised funds, bequests, gifts of life insurance, and stock and securities donations, enabling legacy giving and tax-advantaged charitable contributions to support Carroll ISD teachers in perpetuity.

Quantifiable outcome

• $597,000 raised at the 2026 Culinary Celebration gala
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Park Place GrapevineflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPark Place Grapevine (luxury automotive dealership) serves as Presenting Sponsor for the annual CEF Culinary Celebration gala and hosts the event. Their sponsorship includes prominent logo placement on event materials and CEF's donor recognition platforms.
• Sewell Automotive CompaniesflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSewell Automotive Companies (Dallas-Fort Worth luxury automotive) serves as Title Sponsor of the Superintendent's Circle and Club Charlie program, and as a Dragon Classic sponsor. Their commitment to year-round giving aligns with CEF's mission. Trey Knapp (Sewell) serves as CEF Treasurer on the Executive Board.
• Thomas & Sharon Michael with DFW Elite RealtycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThomas & Sharon Michael, associated with DFW Elite Realty, are the named sponsors of Club Charlie — CEF's kindergarten engagement program that distributes yard signs and hosts an annual elementary school competition.
• Origin BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOrigin Bank sponsors the campus challenge component of the Giving Tuesday Teacher Telethon by providing a catered lunch for all teachers and staff at the campus that raises the most money.
• Dragon Nation (Carroll ISD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarroll Independent School District is CEF's core beneficiary partner. CEF's funding model was developed in partnership with CISD administration, and the district provides teacher rosters and coordinates Teacher of the Year recognition. The Superintendent participates in the Superintendent's Circle donor events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AdoptAClassroom: National nonprofit enabling individual and corporate donors to directly fund K-12 teachers and classrooms. Operates the same teacher-funding category as CEF but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• DonorsChoose: National crowdfunding nonprofit that channels donor contributions directly to public school teachers for classroom needs. A much larger, broader incumbent operating in the same K-12 teacher-funding space CEF serves locally.

Direct peers

• Lewisville ISD Education Foundation: District-specific education foundation supporting Lewisville ISD teachers and students. Operates with a similar fundraising/gala model in the DFW area and serves a comparable teacher-appreciation mission.
• Allen ISD Education Foundation: District-specific K-12 education foundation serving Allen ISD in North Texas, funding teachers and programs through donations, sponsorships, and events. Operates an essentially identical model to CEF for a neighboring affluent suburban district.
• Lovejoy ISD Education Foundation: District education foundation serving Lovejoy ISD, a small affluent North Texas district adjacent to Carroll ISD. Direct comparable in scale, demographics, and teacher-appreciation focus.
• Plano ISD Education Foundation: K-12 education foundation for Plano ISD in the DFW metroplex, channeling community philanthropy to teachers and innovative classroom programs. Closely comparable structure, scale, and DFW geographic context.
• Coppell ISD Education Foundation: Adjacent North Texas district education foundation supporting Coppell ISD educators through donations, grants, and events. Operates in the same DFW suburban market with overlapping donor demographics.
• McKinney Education Foundation: K-12 education foundation for McKinney ISD in North Texas, raising community funds for teacher grants and student programs. Comparable structure, funding model, and donor engagement approach.
• Highland Park Education Foundation: Affluent-suburban district education foundation supporting Highland Park ISD teachers through donations and events. Comparable Texas K-12 foundation structure targeting a similar affluent donor base.
• Frisco Education Foundation: K-12 education foundation serving Frisco ISD in North Texas, funding teacher grants, scholarships, and innovative programs through community philanthropy. Highly comparable model and affluent suburban DFW context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/southlakecef
• Facebookfacebook.com/carrolleducationfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carroll-education-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 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 Carroll Education Foundation