The Richardson Isd Foundation

What The Richardson Isd Foundation does

The Richardson ISD Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Richardson, Texas, that channels community resources to the Richardson Independent School District. It operates as the district's dedicated philanthropic arm, providing classroom grants, scholarships, STEM education funding, professional development awards, and staff recognition programs to K-12 students, teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff across RISD's campuses and four high schools (Berkner, Lake Highlands, J.J. Pearce, and Richardson). Since founding, the foundation has invested more than $8.8 million into RISD students and staff, with Cameka L. Crawford serving as President.

The foundation's product surface consists of grant programs and awards: ELEVATE Grants for staff professional development (up to $1,000 awarded three times per year), Empower Grants for classroom projects, the TI Foundation Innovations in STEM Teaching Award ($20,000 per recipient plus STEM space makeover), STARS Teachers of the Year, RISD Champion Awards for support staff (sponsored by RBFCU), and graduating-senior scholarships. Recent activity includes a $96,500 Micron Foundation STEM Pathways grant (serving ~700 students over two years), a 2026 Whataburger-funded book vending machine at Stults Road Elementary, and the launch of a Center Stage comedy fundraiser at Eisemann Center.

Revenue is generated exclusively through donations and sponsorships rather than fees or pricing. Income streams include individual donations (via the qgiv online giving platform and GEMs monthly giving), corporate sponsorships with a Premier Patron tier at $25,000+ annually (State Farm, TI Foundation, Stantec, 1finity, Glenn Partners, Clay Cooley, CORE Construction, FBCU), event ticket sales and sponsorships (North Texas Giving Day, R.A.G.E., Par-Tee for a Cause, Center Stage), and foundation grants (Micron, TI Foundation). Distribution to beneficiaries occurs via online grant and scholarship portals, event-based fundraising, and direct campus engagement. No app, API, SDK, or proprietary technology platform is disclosed.

Name

The Richardson Isd Foundation

Legal name

The Richardson ISD Foundation

Website

https://richardsonisdfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Richardson ISD Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1984 that funds classroom grants, scholarships, STEM programs, and staff awards for students, teachers, and support staff of the Richardson Independent School District in North Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Educational fundraising
• Classroom grants
• Scholarship programs
• Stem education funding
• Community education support

Headquarters

HQ city

Richardson

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: The foundation raises funds through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and event fundraising. Major donors like Premier Patrons contribute $25,000 or more annually. Additional revenue comes from event ticket sales, sponsorship packages, and memorial/honor gifts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Richardson ISD Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises private funds through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and event-based fundraising, then redistributes them as grants, scholarships, and recognition awards to Richardson Independent School District students, teachers, and staff. Its offerings include ELEVATE Grants for professional development, Empower Grants for classroom projects, scholarships for graduating seniors, the TI Foundation Innovations in STEM Teaching Award, Champion Awards for support staff, STARS Teachers of the Year, and targeted STEM initiatives such as the Micron Foundation STEM Pathways grant.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ELEVATE Grants
• Empower Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• More than $8.8 million invested in RISD students and staff since 1984
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Eisemann Center for Performing ArtsminorOthersVenue partner for Center Stage comedy fundraiser event on February 28, 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Communities Foundation of Texas: Large regional community foundation managing donor-advised funds and grantmaking across North Texas, including education initiatives. A broader incumbent that competes for the same corporate and individual donors but operates at a much larger scale and across multiple causes.

Direct peers

• Allen ISD Education Foundation: Nonprofit foundation supporting Allen ISD students and educators through scholarships, innovative teaching grants, and community partnerships. Closely mirrors the RISD Foundation model in a similarly-sized suburban North Texas district.
• Frisco ISD Education Foundation: 501(c)(3) foundation providing grants, scholarships, and innovative program funding for Frisco ISD. Comparable in mission, donor model, and target beneficiary (K-12 students and teachers in a single North Texas district).
• Dallas Education Foundation: Nonprofit foundation supporting Dallas ISD students and educators with classroom grants, scholarships, and STEM/career-readiness programs. Comparable structure but serves a larger urban district with different demographic profile.
• Garland ISD Education Foundation: Education-focused nonprofit serving Garland ISD through classroom grants, scholarships, and community-driven fundraising. Operates with the same single-district grantmaking model as the RISD Foundation.
• Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Education Foundation: Education foundation supporting CFBISD with classroom grants, scholarships, and teacher recognition programs. Closely aligned with RISD Foundation's geographic and operational profile.
• Plano ISD Education Foundation: Community-based education foundation serving the Plano Independent School District in North Texas, providing classroom grants, scholarships, and teacher support. Directly comparable to RISD Foundation as a neighboring district's grantmaking intermediary.
• Irving ISD Education Foundation: 501(c)(3) supporting Irving ISD through innovative teaching grants and student scholarships. Operates with same district-tied community foundation model.
• McKinney Education Foundation: Community foundation providing grants and scholarships to McKinney ISD students and teachers. Comparable in scale and suburban North Texas positioning to the RISD Foundation.

Others

• Texas Instruments Foundation: A major corporate foundation that is both a current partner (sponsoring the $40K annual STEM Teaching Awards) and a comparable philanthropic vehicle. Adjacent rather than directly competing since it funds across many districts and causes.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/risd_foundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/risdfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-richardson-isd-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Richardson Isd Foundation