San Mateo-foster City Community Education Foundation

What San Mateo-foster City Community Education Foundation does

The San Mateo-Foster City Community Education Foundation (SMFCEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1989 in Foster City, California, in response to declining California education funding following Proposition 13. It operates as the district-wide fundraising arm for the San Mateo-Foster City School District (SMFCSD), serving 22 schools and approximately 10,500 students. Since inception, the foundation has granted more than $9.37 million to the district to support programs that state funding does not cover.

The foundation's core offering is a diversified fundraising operation rather than a technology product. Revenue streams include an Annual Giving Campaign asking families for $250 per year, corporate sponsorship tiers ranging from $250 (Friend) to $25,000+ (Platinum), event-based fundraising (Readathon, Harlem Wizards basketball game), employer matching gifts, and gifts of appreciated stock and assets. Grants are distributed across STEM, arts & music, athletics, literacy, and health & wellness programming. Notable programmatic initiatives include the H.O.P.E. Uniforms Program (uniform reuse, 13,000+ items redistributed), the Trash for Treats Earth Day event, and the Middle School Athletics Program under the Art David Athletic League.

The organization is volunteer-governed, with a Board of Directors composed of district parents and community professionals and a small paid staff consisting of an Executive Director (Karina Wilhelms, joined November 2024) and an Office Manager (Kim Crellin). Go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct donor outreach, social media, school liaisons, and corporate partnerships with anchor sponsors including Gilead Foundation, Adobe, and Verkada. The foundation is geographically constrained to the SMFCSD service area and has no parent company, subsidiaries, or disclosed financials.

Name

San Mateo-foster City Community Education Foundation

Legal name

San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation

Website

https://smfcedfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The San Mateo-Foster City Community Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that raises private funds to supplement state education budgets for the San Mateo-Foster City School District, having granted over $9.37 million since 1989 to support 22 schools and 10,500 students across STEM, arts, athletics, and literacy programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Fundraising and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Services (611)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Public education fundraising
• School district donations
• Community education foundation
• Student enrichment programs
• Education grants programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Foster City

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/Family Donations: Direct donations from families in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. The Annual Giving Campaign asks for $250 per family. Monthly recurring donations of $20 supported. Donations are tax-deductible under 501(c)(3) status.
2. Corporate/Foundation Sponsorships: Business partnerships at various sponsorship levels: Platinum ($25,000+), Gold ($10,000+), Silver ($5,000+), and individual/family tiers from Benefactor ($2,500+) down to Friend ($250+). Provides exposure to over 7,000 families in the district.
3. Event-Based Fundraising: Revenue from events including Readathon and Harlem Wizards basketball games. Ticket sales and event participation generate funds for educational programs.
4. Employer Matching Gifts: Many employers match charitable donations made by employees. Donors are directed to DoubleTheDonation.com to find participating employers.
5. Stock and Asset Donations: Accepts gifts of appreciated stock, donor-advised fund grants, and vehicle/boat/property donations (receiving 70-80% of net proceeds).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The San Mateo-Foster City Community Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that raises private donations, corporate sponsorships, and event revenue to fund district-wide educational programs for the 22 schools (10,500 students) of the San Mateo-Foster City School District. Funds are granted to support STEM, arts, music, literacy, athletics, and college/career readiness programs, with $9.37 million+ granted since 1989. The foundation runs an Annual Giving Campaign ($250 per family ask), the Annual Readathon, the Harlem Wizards basketball event, Middle School Athletics, Science & Technology initiatives, the H.O.P.E. Uniforms Program, and the Trash for Treats Earth Day program.

Product overview

The San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation operates as a single unified non-profit fundraising organization rather than a platform. The foundation's offerings consist of multiple programmatic initiatives that work together to support public education: the Annual Giving Campaign serves as the primary direct donation vehicle asking families for $250 per year; the Annual Readathon engages students in reading competitions; the Harlem Wizards event hosts basketball games to raise funds; and the Middle School Athletics Program provides after-school sports. Additional programs include Science & Technology initiatives, the H.O.P.E. Uniforms Program for sustainable uniform redistribution, the Trash for Treats Earth Day event, and direct district-wide program funding supporting music, arts, literacy, STEM education, and athletics. Since 1989, the foundation has granted over $9.37 million to the San Mateo-Foster City School District.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $9.37 million+ granted to SMFCSD since 1989
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, supporting and minor.

• Gilead FoundationflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum level sponsor supporting the San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation's programs for district students.
• AdobecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGold level corporate sponsor providing support for educational programs in the district.
• Compass (Michael Cai, Candy Tam)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGold/Benefactor level sponsors from real estate providing support for district education programs.
• Foster CitysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver level community sponsor - municipal government partner.
• VerkadasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver level technology company sponsor.
• Sharp ApartmentssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver level sponsor supporting educational programs.
• Jacklyn Kurth OrthodonticssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBenefactor level sponsor supporting district education.
• The LAM Team (Alex Lam)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBenefactor level real estate sponsor.
• SMCLsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBenefactor level community partner.
• AALRR (Attorneys at Law)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBenefactor level law firm sponsor.
• APX PowersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBenefactor level business sponsor.
• PAF ProgramsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBenefactor level community sponsor.
• Galileo CampssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBenefactor level educational camp sponsor providing camp Galileo scholarships.
• James Chen OrthodonticssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAmbassador level sponsor supporting district education.
• I Love Jack'ssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAmbassador level local business sponsor.
• Cal WatersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAmbassador level utility company sponsor.
• Amici's East Coast PizzeriaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdvocate level local restaurant sponsor.
• PATH WatersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing supplies and reusable water bottles for Trash for Treats Earth Day event. Supports environmental sustainability programs.
• H.O.P.E. Uniforms ProgramsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-focused nonprofit that collects and redistributes gently used school uniforms. Implemented at nine SMFCSD public schools. Has received over 13,000 donated uniform items and served 1,300+ families. Recognized by Crystal Geyser, Sustainability San Mateo County, and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo.
• SMFCSD PTA CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with foundation on district-wide Trash for Treats Earth Day campus clean-up event. Earned 974 student volunteer hours from 1,948 participating students across 16 schools.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE): Parent-founded 501(c)(3) that raises and grants funds to Palo Alto Unified School District schools for academics, arts, athletics, and enrichment. Direct structural analog in neighboring Silicon Valley district with similar per-family donation model.
• Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation: 501(c)(3) raising unrestricted funds to support every K-8 student in the Las Lomitas and Menlo Park City school districts. Nearest geographic peer and most direct comp on district-wide equity model.
• San Carlos Education Foundation: Community-based 501(c)(3) that fundraises and grants funds to San Carlos School District for STEM, arts, and enrichment. Adjacent Peninsula peer with comparable demographic and donor profile.
• Burlingame School District Foundation: Parent-led foundation providing grants to the Burlingame School District for enrichment programs. Direct adjacent-district peer running the same family-campaign and corporate-sponsorship model.
• Cupertino Education Foundation: 501(c)(3) granting funds for enrichment programs to Cupertino Union School District. Comparable Bay Area foundation with strong corporate donor base and per-family donation ask.
• Foundation for San Francisco Public Schools: Bay Area education foundation that raises private funds to support San Francisco Unified School District programming. Comparable urban-district foundation with corporate-sponsor pipeline and large reach.
• Mountain View Educational Foundation: Fundraising and grantmaking organization supporting Mountain View Whisman School District. Same K-8 supplemental funding model across a contiguous Bay Area district.
• Los Altos Education Foundation (LAEF): Community foundation granting funds to Los Altos School District for STEM, arts, music, and enrichment. Operates the same district-wide supplemental funding model serving affluent Peninsula school districts.
• Redwood City Education Foundation: Foundation raising funds for the Redwood City School District to support enrichment programs. Operates the same supplemental-grant model with similar-sized district footprint.

Emerging players

• Peninsula Bridge: Peninsula-based nonprofit expanding educational access and enrichment for underserved students; partial overlap with SMFCEF's college/career readiness and equity-focused programming rather than direct supplemental grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7ZvuZV3_Au-cXIqEQpoTiA
• Facebookfacebook.com/smfcedfund
• Instagraminstagram.com/smfcef
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smfcedfund

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 San Mateo-foster City Community Education Foundation