Scarborough Education Foundation

What Scarborough Education Foundation does

Scarborough Education Foundation (SEF) is an independent nonprofit organization of community volunteers based in Scarborough, Maine, that funds innovative K-12 educational initiatives in Scarborough Public Schools. SEF operates a structured grant-making program with three core offerings — Dream It Grants, Build It Grants, and Grow It Grants — designed to provide seed funding for creative classroom projects and curriculum enhancements aligned with the district's K-12 goals. Grants are reviewed semi-annually by a Grant Review Committee and approved by the Board of Directors, and applications must be endorsed by school principals.

SEF's revenue model is entirely donation-based, with no product or service sales. Funding is sourced from individual and business donations processed through Donorbox and PayPal, supplemented by fundraising events such as the annual Community Spelling Bee. The organization runs an annual appeal with a stated goal of $25,000 and has cumulatively awarded over $288,625 in grants to teachers across all years of operation. The technology stack is minimal and conventional for a small nonprofit, consisting of online donation platforms (Donorbox, PayPal) and document tools (Google Docs, Google Forms) for grant applications and outcome reporting.

SEF is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors including a President (Jess Libby), Vice President (Colleen Amann), Treasurer (Michelle Romano), Secretary (Hannah Goodwin), Grants Chair (Jeanne King), and Fundraiser Chair (Lindsay Diminick). Co-founder and first President Will Leadley passed away in spring 2023, with memorial donations funding grants in his name. The foundation's sole customer is the Scarborough Public Schools district, with no geographic or vertical expansion signals observed.

Name

Scarborough Education Foundation

Legal name

Scarborough Education Foundation

Website

https://sefmaine.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Scarborough Education Foundation is an independent Scarborough, Maine nonprofit that awards seed-grant funding to K-12 teachers in Scarborough Public Schools for innovative curriculum programs, supported by community donations and annual fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Grant Funding Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Education grant funding
• Nonprofit foundation services
• K-12 curriculum grants
• Community education fundraising
• Teacher innovation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Scarborough

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and Business Donations: SEF solicits donations from individuals and businesses in the Scarborough community through its website and online donation platform (Donorbox/PayPal).
2. Fundraising Events: The organization hosts fundraising events such as the annual Community Spelling Bee to generate revenue for grant funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Scarborough Education Foundation is a community volunteer-driven non-profit that raises funds through donations and fundraising events to award seed-money grants (Dream It, Build It, and Grow It) to educators in Scarborough Public Schools. Grants fund innovative and creative K-12 curriculum initiatives that lack traditional budget support, enabling teachers to pilot new programs with the expectation that successful initiatives will transition to district funding. The organization also operates an annual fundraising appeal and the Community Spelling Bee event to sustain its grant-making activities.

Product overview

The Scarborough Education Foundation (SEF) operates as a unified grant-making and fundraising organization that connects community generosity with educator creativity to improve student learning outcomes. The Foundation offers three grant programs (Dream It, Build It, and Grow It) as its core products, designed to fund innovative K-12 curriculum initiatives as seed money for new programs. Supplementary offerings include an Annual Appeal fundraising campaign and the Community Spelling Bee fundraiser. SEF functions as a pass-through organization, distributing funds to educators rather than operating a technology product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dream It Grants Grant funding program for supporting innovative and creative initiatives that enhance the curriculum for students in grades K-12 of Scarborough public schools. Programs must be aligned with the approved Scarborough School District K-12 curriculum.
• Build It Grants Grant funding intended to support programs and initiatives that impact a significant number of students or promise to have a profound impact on a smaller number of students. Available to employees of the Scarborough School District.
• Grow It Grants Seed money grants for new programs and projects, intended to give educators, students and parents an opportunity to test innovative initiatives in practice before pursuing ongoing funding through traditional school budgets.
• Annual Appeal Annual fundraising campaign to raise financial resources within the community to fund teacher initiatives and support Scarborough Students. The annual goal is $25,000.
• Community Spelling Bee Annual fundraising event that provides support for the Foundation, engaging community members in a competitive spelling event.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Scarborough School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEF partners with Scarborough School District for a shared vision of academic excellence. All grant proposals must be aligned with District curriculum goals and approved by principals. The District provides administrative support including a grant submission box at the Superintendent's Office.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Regional players

• Portland Education Foundation:

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scarborough-education-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Scarborough Education Foundation