Redwood City Education Foundation

What Redwood City Education Foundation does

Redwood City Education Foundation (RCEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1983 in Redwood City, California, in the wake of Proposition 13 funding cuts. It serves K-8 public school students in the Redwood City School District (RCSD) and the adjacent North Fair Oaks community, with a particular concentration on three under-resourced community schools — Hoover, Garfield, and Taft — that lack Parent Teacher Organizations. Its mission is to increase academic performance among underserved K-8 students by bridging the gap between state funding and the actual cost of education, with measurable outcomes including 1-3 grade level improvements in math and reading.

The foundation operates a portfolio of programs rather than a technology platform. Core offerings include the Thriving Schools Fund (allocating over $200,000 per school per year to seven programs at an average of $375 per student), the Bridging the Gap Grants pilot (district-wide equity-focused projects), and direct student services in math and reading support, mental health counseling, social-emotional learning, STEAM, family partnership, and essential needs. RCEF also serves as a fiscal sponsor, providing its 501(c)(3) status to 13+ RCSD schools for site-specific fundraising. The annual Wine Walk event and the corporate Giving Partners Program (anchored by Oracle, Kaiser Permanente, Quest Foundation, and OneLife) round out the operating surface. Total annual student reach is 2,000+ across four schools, with $600,000+ invested per year into community school students.

The revenue model is entirely philanthropic: individual donations (direct, employer-matched, donor-advised funds, and appreciated securities), event proceeds (Wine Walk), corporate sponsorship via the Giving Partners Program, and pass-through fiscal sponsorship. RCEF uses Kindful for donation processing and a Wix-hosted website for donor acquisition. It does not sell products or services and operates without institutional investment capital, relying on community volunteers, board governance, and a small staff (Florence Ortiz is a named point of contact at [email protected]).

Name

Redwood City Education Foundation

Legal name

Redwood City Education Foundation

Website

https://rcef.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Redwood City Education Foundation is a 42-year-old 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises and channels funds to underserved K-8 public school students in Redwood City, California. It serves ~2,000 students across four schools annually, invests over $600k per year, and operates a fiscal sponsorship network covering 13+ schools in the district.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Foundation/Nonprofit Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

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), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Education foundation fundraising
• K-8 school grants
• Nonprofit fiscal sponsorship
• Corporate giving partnerships
• Community education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

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: Direct donations from individuals supporting education programs for underserved K-8 students. Donors can designate funds to specific schools or the general fund.
2. Employer Matching: Corporate matching gift programs where employers double or triple employee donations to RCEF.
3. Stock and Securities Donations: Donors can contribute appreciated securities, avoiding capital gains tax while receiving income tax deduction for full market value.
4. Fiscal Sponsorship Fees: RCEF serves as fiscal sponsor for school-site fundraising, allowing schools to operate under RCEF's 501(c)(3) status with donations being tax-deductible for donors.
5. Event Fundraising: Annual events like Wine Walk generate proceeds supporting educational programs for underserved K-8 students including enrichment activities, academic support, and mental health resources.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Redwood City Education Foundation (RCEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education foundation that raises funds from individual donors, corporate partners, and grant makers to support underserved K-8 public school students in Redwood City and North Fair Oaks. Its core offerings include the Thriving Schools Fund (allocating over $200,000 per school annually to three community schools lacking PTOs), Bridging the Gap Grants (equity-focused pilot projects across the district), fiscal sponsorship services enabling individual schools to fundraise under RCEF's tax-exempt status, and the annual Wine Walk community fundraiser. Donations fund academic interventions (math/reading tutoring, STEAM lessons), mental health counseling, social-emotional learning, family partnership activities, and essential needs support.

Product overview

Redwood City Education Foundation (RCEF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that operates as a single unified foundation offering multiple educational support programs rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include the Thriving Schools Fund (which allocates over $200,000 per year to three under-resourced schools lacking Parent Teacher Organizations), the Bridging the Gap Grants pilot program (supporting equity-focused projects across all district schools), and the annual Wine Walk fundraiser. These are complemented by direct student support programs including Math Support, Reading Support, Mental Health Counseling, Social Emotional Learning, S.T.E.A.M. Lessons, Family Partnership Activities, Essential Needs, and Equitable Education initiatives. The organization also provides fiscal sponsorship services enabling schools to fundraise under its tax-exempt status. RCEF primarily partners with the Redwood City School District to serve K-8 students, with particular focus on the highest-need schools (Hoover, Garfield, and Taft) serving approximately 1,700 students annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thriving Schools Fund
• Bridging the Gap Grants
• Wine Walk
• Fiscal Sponsorship Partnership
• School-Site Fundraising
• Giving Partners Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,000+ students served annually across four schools
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OraclecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Giving Partner supporting RCEF through the Giving Partners Program, helping provide critical educational support to underserved schools and demonstrating commitment to education and community development.
• Kaiser PermanentecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDocumentary sponsor for 'La Familia, La Comunidad', supporting oral history documenting resilience of Redwood City families during COVID-19 pandemic.
• OneLifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner working with RCEF to create vibrant, equitable, and inclusive learning environments in Redwood City.
• Redwood City School District (RCSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary educational partner; RCEF supports schools within the district, focusing on highest-need schools and bridging funding gaps.
• BraveMakercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm partner producing documentary 'La Familia, La Comunidad' highlighting resilience of Redwood City families during the pandemic. 100% of funds raised pay for counseling hours or counselors per school.
• TJ Hodgson & CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReserve Patron sponsor ($5,000) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• WL ButlerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCellar Advocate sponsor ($2,500) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• R&M PropertiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCellar Advocate sponsor ($2,500) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• PBMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCellar Advocate sponsor ($2,500) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• SIMSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrel Partner sponsor ($1,000) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• Good City Co.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrel Partner sponsor ($1,000) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• MonterraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrel Partner sponsor ($1,000) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• Redwood City ElksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrel Partner sponsor ($1,000) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• Redwood City SmilesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrel Partner sponsor ($1,000) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• Sports BasementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrel Partner sponsor ($1,000) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• LyngsominorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrel Partner sponsor ($1,000) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• JayPaulminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDocumentary sponsor for 'La Familia, La Comunidad' film.
• LoweminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDocumentary sponsor for 'La Familia, La Comunidad' film.
• Heritage Bank of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVineyard Friend sponsor ($500) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.
• MathnasiumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVineyard Friend sponsor ($500) for Wine Walk annual fundraiser event.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FollowRCEF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rcef-4-kids
• Instagraminstagram.com/rcef4kids

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Redwood City Education Foundation