The Foundation for Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools

What The Foundation for Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools does

The Foundation for Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools (the Foundation for MERS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational foundation established in the 2009-2010 school year to channel private philanthropy into the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District's 8 PK-8 schools. It functions as the district's sanctioned supplemental fundraising and grant-making vehicle, filling gaps left by constrained public school budgets across technology (Promethean Boards, coding robots, iPads), STEAM curricula, arts programs, teacher professional development, and student enrichment such as field trips and cultural programs. The foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees led by President Ricardo G. Rivers (since January 1, 2025) and Founder/Past President Patricia Berger, with ex-officio representation from the district superintendent and a broader bench of trustees drawn from financial-services, legal, education, and small-business leadership in Monmouth County.

The foundation operates without proprietary technology: its donation processing is delivered through the Givecloud SaaS platform, which accepts one-time gifts ($5-$1,000+), monthly recurring donations ($5-$1,000 per month), and annual recurring donations ($50-$1,000 per year), with credit/debit card, bank transfer, and PayPal settlement. Its commercial surface is a six-tier corporate sponsorship program (Copper $150, Bronze $250, Silver $500, Gold $1,000, Platinum $2,500, Diamond $5,000 per year, with monthly billing) offering email-blast visibility to 3,500+ district families and 800+ staff, social media features, VIP event tickets, and recognition at community events. Fundraising revenue is supplemented by recurring community events including Foundation FunFest (launching September 26, 2026 at Ivy League Day Camp), Harlem Wizards basketball games (partnership since 2015, generating $17K-$27K per event), Dance With Your Daughter, Taste of the Town, WizFit Challenge, and a $25 Jeans Day workplace program for district employees.

Revenue mechanics are entirely donation- and sponsorship-based, with no fee-for-service line. Distribution to grantees is governed by a five-category grant framework (Creative, Advance, Responsive, Excellence, Support), and the organization maintains institutional memberships in the New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership (NJEFP), the National School Foundation Association (NSFA), and the Manalapan Business Association (MBA) to support best-practice sharing and sponsor recruitment. Since inception, the foundation has awarded over $1 million in grants to the district.

Name

The Foundation for Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools

Legal name

The Foundation for Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools

Website

https://foundation4mers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Foundation for MERS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises donations, corporate sponsorships, and event revenue to fund educational grants for the 8 PK-8 schools of the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District in New Jersey.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Education Foundation Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

Keywords

• Education foundation fundraising
• School grant programs
• Corporate sponsorship tiers
• Community donation platform
• K-8 enrichment grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Manalapan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation receives donations from individuals including one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations, and annual donations. Donation tiers include Benefactor ($1,000), Patron ($500), Contributor ($250), Supporter ($100), Friend ($50), and custom amounts.
2. Corporate Sponsorship Program: Annual corporate sponsorships at multiple levels: Diamond ($5,000/year), Platinum ($2,500/year), Gold ($1,000/year), Silver ($500/year), Bronze ($250/year), and Copper ($150/year). Monthly payment options also available.
3. Event-Based Fundraising: Revenue generated from fundraising events including Foundation FunFest, Dance With Your Daughter, Harlem Wizards games, Taste of the Town, WizFit Challenge, and other community events.
4. Jeans Day Program: Employees of the MERS PK-8 District can pay $25 for the privilege of wearing jeans every Thursday throughout the school year.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Foundation for MERS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and event proceeds, and redistributes those funds as educational grants to the eight PK-8 schools of the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District. Core deliverables include a Givecloud-powered donation platform supporting one-time, monthly, and annual giving; a tiered corporate sponsorship program with visibility benefits; an Educational Grant Program across five categories (Creative, Advance, Responsive, Excellence, Support) funding STEAM, literacy, technology, arts, and professional development; and recurring community fundraising events.

Product overview

The Foundation for MERS operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational foundation offering a Givecloud-powered donation platform for one-time, monthly, and annual contributions, supplemented by an Annual Sponsorship Program with six corporate partnership tiers. The organization funds a Grant Program supporting five educational categories (Creative, Advance, Responsive, Excellence, Support) that provide resources to the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District's 8 PK-8 schools. The Foundation also organizes community events including the Foundation FunFest, and manages fundraising initiatives like the Jeans Day program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Givecloud Donation Program Online donation portal supporting one-time, monthly recurring, and annual contributions from individuals, with tiered amounts (Friend, Supporter, Contributor, Patron, Benefactor) and custom amounts. Accepts credit/debit cards, bank transfers, and PayPal, and offers donors the option to cover processing fees. All gifts are tax-deductible through the foundation's 501(c)(3) status (EIN 27-0372463).
• Annual Corporate Sponsorship Program Six-tier annual corporate sponsorship program (Diamond $5,000, Platinum $2,500, Gold $1,000, Silver $500, Bronze $250, Copper $150) offered monthly or annually, with tiered benefits including social media spotlight, premium recognition, sponsor plaques, logo placement on event marketing, district-wide email blast features reaching 3,500+ families and 800+ staff, VIP event tickets, and exhibitor tables at foundation events. Targets local and regional businesses seeking community visibility.
• Educational Grant Program Formal grant program with five funding categories (Creative for visual/performing arts; Advance for professional development; Responsive for technology; Excellence for innovative curriculum; Support for extracurricular and well-being) that has distributed over $1 million in grants since 2009-2010. Recipient schools across the eight PK-8 campuses include the district overall, Taylor Mills, Lafayette Mills, Wemrock Brook, Milford Brook, Clark Mills, and MEMS.
• Foundation FunFest Annual community celebration fundraiser featuring games, food trucks, bounce houses, a raffle, and live performances, designed to raise funds for classroom grants across the district's 8 PK-8 schools. The first FunFest is scheduled for September 26, 2026 at Ivy League Day Camp.
• Harlem Wizards Fundraising Games Ticketed Harlem Wizards exhibition basketball games held since 2015 that raised over $17,000 in 2026 and over $25,000 in 2024, with additional WizFit Challenge programming generating $27,000 in 2022. Held at the MEMS gymnasium and tied to the foundation's community events calendar.
• Jeans Day Workplace Program Workplace giving program available to MERS PK-8 District employees for a $25 contribution, granting the privilege of wearing jeans every Thursday throughout the school year, with proceeds supporting the foundation's grantmaking.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 Million in grants awarded since inception
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ivy League Day CampcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2026Ivy League Day Camp is the venue partner for the 1st Annual Foundation FunFest on September 26, 2026. They are also a Diamond Sponsor with a $5,000 contribution and their logo is featured prominently on the foundation website.
• New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership (NJEFP)minorOthersThe Foundation for MERS is a member of NJEFP (njefp.org), connecting with other education foundations across New Jersey to share best practices and resources.
• National School Foundation Association (NSFA)minorOthersThe Foundation is a member of NSFA (educationfoundations.org), providing access to national education foundation best practices and networking.
• Manalapan Business Association (MBA)minorOthersThe Foundation works closely with the Manalapan Business Association (mtnjmba.org) for local business engagement and sponsor recruitment.
• All American Ford SubarucoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Sponsor contributing $5,000 annually. Presented $5,000 Diamond Sponsorship check. Logo featured prominently on website.
• Harlem WizardscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership since 2015 for fundraising basketball games. Events raised over $17K (2026), over $25K (2024), and $27,000 through WizFit Challenge (2022).
• WegmansminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Sponsor supporting the foundation with community visibility.
• CentraState Health SystemminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Sponsor supporting the foundation with community visibility.
• F45 Training ManalapanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Sponsor supporting the foundation with community visibility.
• Gino Mallamaci CPAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Sponsor supporting the foundation, associated with Maria Mallamaci who serves as Vice President of the foundation.
• Rosie PosiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Sponsor supporting the foundation, owned by Felicia Bindler who is a Foundation trustee.
• The Learning Experience (TLE) ManalapanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Sponsor supporting the foundation.
• Manalapan DinerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Sponsor supporting the foundation with community visibility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-foundation-4-mers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 The Foundation for Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools