South Pasadena Educational Foundation

What South Pasadena Educational Foundation does

The South Pasadena Educational Foundation (SPEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1979 and incorporated in 1980, operating as the designated official private fundraising arm of the South Pasadena Unified School District (SPUSD). The foundation's mission is to fund educational enrichment, teacher grants, and capital initiatives that supplement public school funding for approximately 5,000+ students enrolled across SPUSD's five schools (three elementary, one middle, and one high school). SPEF combines a grantmaking function with a direct program delivery operation, deploying resources through both unrestricted donor contributions and fee-based services.

SPEF's programmatic portfolio includes summer school, summer camps, afterschool classes, the 5th Grade Musical, the newly launched SPMS Spring Musical for grades 6-8, and a Food 4 Thought restaurant dine-around series. Grantmaking operates through Teacher Direct Grants (up to $2,500 per individual educator or $6,000 for joint applications), Major Grants (approximately $180,000 annually), and discretionary support to schools and the district, with total annual grant distributions exceeding $948,000. Technology infrastructure is limited to third-party SaaS, principally CampBrain for online program registration; there is no proprietary technology platform or AI capability disclosed. The organization is led by Executive Director Stacey Leonard Petersen with a team of approximately 11 staff supported by a volunteer Board of Directors and an alumni network of past board members.

The revenue model is a hybrid of donation-driven grantmaking and fee-based program delivery. Fundraising channels include the annual Fall Fund Drive, the 41-year-old Parti Gras gala, Food 4 Thought, tiered Business Alliance Partnerships (ranging from $1,000 to $10,000+ per year for local business sponsors), and, as of 2025, stock and cryptocurrency donations accepted through a partnership with Every.org. Program fees are generated through paid enrollment in summer school, camps, afterschool classes, and theatrical productions. The newsletter audience exceeds 16,000 subscribers, providing a substantial owned-channel asset for donor cultivation. Over the foundation's 45-year history, cumulative gross fundraising totals approximately $14 million.

Name

South Pasadena Educational Foundation

Legal name

South Pasadena Educational Foundation

Website

https://spef4kids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South Pasadena Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 that serves as the official private fundraising arm for the South Pasadena Unified School District. It supports 5,000+ students across five public schools through teacher grants, enrichment programs, camps, musicals, and community fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD)

Keywords

• Educational foundation services
• Public school fundraising
• After-school enrichment programs
• Teacher grant funding
• Community education support

Headquarters

HQ city

South Pasadena

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. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from parents, community members, and local businesses through annual fund drives, direct mail campaigns, and the annual Fall Fund Drive. SPEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with Tax ID 95-3532316.
2. Program Fees: Revenue from fee-based enrichment programs including summer school, camps, afterschool classes, and musical productions. Classes range from $290-$700 per session; musical programs $150-$595.
3. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships and business alliance memberships supporting fundraising events like Parti Gras and Fall Fund Drive. Sponsorship tiers range from Bronze ($1,000) to Diamond ($10,000+).
4. Stock and Cryptocurrency Donations: Accepts donations of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and cryptocurrency through Every.org 501(c)(3), allowing donors to avoid capital gains taxes while deducting full fair market value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

South Pasadena Educational Foundation (SPEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and delivers educational enrichment for South Pasadena Unified School District. It raises tax-deductible donations through annual campaigns and events, operates fee-based afterschool classes, summer school, camps, and musical productions for SPUSD students, and distributes grants (Teacher Direct Grants, Major Grants, Designated Funds) to educators and the district to bridge gaps in public school funding.

Product overview

South Pasadena Educational Foundation (SPEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports educational excellence in South Pasadena public schools through a portfolio of enrichment programs and fundraising initiatives. The organization operates summer school and camp programs, afterschool classes, theatrical productions (SPEF Musicals), and annual fundraising events (Fall Fund Drive, Parti Gras, Food 4 Thought). SPEF also distributes grants to educators including Teacher Direct Grants (up to $2,500 per teacher), Major Grants for district-wide projects, and Designated Funds for school-specific needs. The foundation's Business Alliance Partnership program enables local businesses to sponsor educational initiatives at various contribution levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer School Programs Fee-based summer educational programs offering academic and enrichment courses for students at South Pasadena public schools.
• SPEF Camps Summer camp programs offering sports, arts, STEM, and leadership development activities for children.
• Afterschool Classes Fall and spring enrichment classes for SPUSD elementary and middle school students, including sports, arts, coding, chess, and academic support.
• SPEF Musicals Annual theatrical productions including the 5th Grade Musical (uniting students from three SPUSD elementary schools) and the SPMS Spring Musical for grades 6-8.
• Teacher Direct Grant Program Grant program providing up to $2,500 per individual or $6,000 for joint grade-level applications to fund innovative curriculum, equipment, or teaching techniques for SPUSD educators, with a 2025-26 budget of $170,000.
• Major Grants Board-reserved funding pool for ambitious one-time or multi-year projects including new course offerings, instructional equipment, or staff training that the district could not otherwise afford.
• Designated Funds Annual funding allocated to five SPUSD schools based on principal requests vetted by district leadership for specific school-site projects.
• Fall Fund Drive Annual fall fundraising campaign where donations support all five South Pasadena public schools through various educational programs and grants.
• Parti Gras Annual signature fundraising gala featuring auctions, local restaurant fare, drinks, and dancing to celebrate and support South Pasadena public schools.
• Food 4 Thought Community dine-around event where local restaurants donate 10% of sales throughout the day to SPEF.
• Business Alliance Partnership Corporate sponsorship program offering Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tier partnerships for local businesses to support educational excellence and gain community visibility.

Quantifiable outcome

• $948,000+ annual funding for educators, schools, and district grants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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.

• Business Alliance PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025SPEF Business Alliance includes local businesses supporting educational excellence through sponsorships, donations, and community engagement. Partners receive marketing visibility through SPEF's 16,000+ newsletter subscribers, 1,150 musical programs, and 4,000+ summer catalogs. Tiers include Diamond ($10,000+), Platinum ($5,000), Gold ($2,500), Silver ($1,500), and Bronze ($1,000).
• Upstage Theatre SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional theatre production company hired since 2011 to produce SPEF's 5th Grade Musical and SPMS Spring Musical. Provides artistic direction, production team, costume design, and stage production expertise for student theatre programs.
• South Pasadena Chinese American Club (SPCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing Mandarin language enrichment classes, homework help, and creative challenges for SPUSD students through SPEF programs.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• La Cañada Educational Foundation: La Cañada Educational Foundation supports La Cañada Unified School District through private donations, grants to teachers, and enrichment programming. It is a near-identical model to SPEF: small staff, designated fundraiser for a single affluent LA-area school district, focus on teacher grants and academic enrichment.
• Arcadia Educational Foundation: The Arcadia Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that supports Arcadia Unified School District through donations, grants, and enrichment programs. Directly comparable as a single-district community foundation in the greater San Gabriel Valley with a similar fundraising and grantmaking structure to SPEF.
• Monrovia Education Foundation: Monrovia Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) supporting Monrovia Unified School District with private donations, teacher grants, and enrichment programs. Operates the same single-district educational foundation model as SPEF in a nearby LA-area community.
• San Marino Schools Foundation: San Marino Schools Foundation is a community-based 501(c)(3) that fundraises to support San Marino Unified School District. Comparable to SPEF in serving a single, high-income LA-area suburb with teacher grants, enrichment programs, and a community events-driven fundraising model.
• Pasadena Educational Foundation: The Pasadena Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that serves as the official fundraising partner for Pasadena Unified School District. Like SPEF, it raises private funds and runs enrichment programs for a single California school district, making it the closest geographic and structural comparable.
• Burbank Schools Foundation: Burbank Schools Foundation is a 501(c)(3) supporting Burbank Unified School District through private donations, classroom grants, and enrichment programs. Directly comparable to SPEF as a single-district educational foundation with a similar community fundraising and teacher grant model.
• EdFund (Santa Monica-Malibu): EdFund is the education foundation supporting Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District with private donations, grants, and enrichment programs. Closely comparable to SPEF as a designated single-district educational foundation in Southern California, including afterschool programming.

Broad incumbents

• National PTA: National PTA is the umbrella parent organization supporting public school communities nationwide through fundraising, advocacy, and programming. Comparable to SPEF in mission focus on K-12 public school enrichment, though operating at massive scale rather than as a single district's designated fundraiser.
• California State PTA: California State PTA is the largest statewide organization supporting public school education through parent-led fundraising, advocacy, and programming. Comparable to SPEF as a parallel parent/community fundraising channel operating in California public schools, but at much larger scale and without SPEF's designated-district status.

Emerging players

• Right At School: Right At School is a national provider of before- and after-school enrichment programs operating on public school campuses. Already a Business Alliance partner of SPEF, it represents a potential competitive entrant if SPEF were to scale its enrichment programs to neighboring districts.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SPEFOnline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-pasadena-educational-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 South Pasadena Educational Foundation