What Usd 232 Education Foundation does

USD 232 Education Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization affiliated with Unified School District No. 232 in De Soto, Kansas, dedicated to enhancing educational excellence by connecting community resources to local schools. It operates four core programs: ELEVATE! Grants (quarterly awards of $250–$5,000, up to $50,000 annually for innovative classroom projects), the Community Giving Circle ($10,000 annual grant funded by $100 member donations and voted on at an annual event), the Wimmer Student Care Fund (up to $500 per request for student basic-needs support), and the Making a Difference Award (monthly $250–$300 recognition of exceptional staff, co-sponsored with Great American Bank).

The foundation generates revenue primarily through corporate and event sponsorships (e.g., a presenting sponsorship from Panasonic Energy for the annual golf tournament), individual donations, district staff payroll deductions, and signature fundraising events. It runs the annual Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament, the Community Giving Circle event, and the ELEVATE! Breakfast as its primary fundraising mechanisms. Grant applications are processed via an online portal (eForms Solutions) on a quarterly cycle, and the foundation works cooperatively with district leadership, with the Executive Director role jointly funded by the district and the foundation.

The foundation operates with no proprietary technology platform, relying on standard web and forms infrastructure. It serves a tightly bounded constituency: USD 232 teachers and administrators (primary grant applicants), students and families (program beneficiaries), and community members and local businesses (donors/sponsors). Its operational footprint is exclusively within the USD 232 district covering De Soto, Shawnee, and surrounding Johnson County, Kansas communities.

Name

Usd 232 Education Foundation

Legal name

USD 232 Education Foundation

Website

https://usd232ef.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD)

Keywords

• K-12 education grants
• Student support funds
• Teacher grant programs
• School district fundraising
• Educator recognition awards

Headquarters

HQ city

De Soto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Corporate & Event Sponsorships: Local and regional businesses (construction firms, banks, healthcare providers, manufacturers, etc.) sponsor foundation events and programs at various tiers (presenting sponsor, gold sponsor, etc.). Sponsorship packages are sold for the annual golf tournament, community breakfast, ELEVATE! Breakfast, and Community Giving Circle. This is the primary funding mechanism.
2. Individual Donations & Memberships: Community members contribute through one-time donations, payroll deductions (for district employees), and annual memberships (Community Giving Circle members donate $100 to vote on grant recipients; Perennial Members contribute extra to cover administrative costs).
3. Grant Distribution: The foundation receives and distributes grant funds sourced from sponsorships and donations. A portion of Perennial Member donations covers administrative costs while the remainder funds grants. Over the last 12 months, the foundation distributed more than $160,000 in grants to schools and teachers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The foundation administers grant programs, student-support funds, community giving initiatives, and recognition awards for educators, students, and educational programs in the USD 232 school district. It also conducts community fundraising activities to support these programs.

Product overview

USD 232 Education Foundation operates as a single unified nonprofit organization offering four main programs: ELEVATE! Grants (quarterly grants from $250-$5,000 for innovative educator projects), Community Giving Circle ($10,000 annual grant for district programs), Wimmer Student Care Fund (emergency assistance up to $500 for students), and Making a Difference Award (monthly $250-$300 recognition for staff). The foundation also organizes three key fundraising events—Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament, Community Giving Circle Event, and ELEVATE! Breakfast—that fund these programs. The foundation distributed over $160,000 in grants over 12 months and aims to award up to $50,000 annually through ELEVATE! Grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ELEVATE! Grants: Quarterly grant program for USD 232 teachers and administrators providing up to $5,000 each for innovative initiatives beyond general district funds.
• Community Giving Circle
• Wimmer Student Care Fund
• Making a Difference Award

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $160,000 in grants distributed across USD 232 schools and teachers in a 12-month period (2025–2026)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Panasonic EnergycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 June 2024Presenting Sponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament (multiple years). Also sponsored CTEC's Onshape Professional Plan ELEVATE! Grant and the 2025 Community Breakfast (Presenting Sponsor). Panasonic Energy of North America partnered with the foundation on a $3,400 grant to Starside Elementary for library books. One of the foundation's most consistent major sponsors across multiple events and programs.
• Great American BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor of the Making a Difference Award (monthly $250-$300 award recognizing exceptional USD 232 educators and staff). Great American Bank staff present at award ceremonies alongside foundation board members. Brand featured on the foundation website partner section and award materials.
• HuhtamakimajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Sponsored a $3,400 ELEVATE! Grant for Early Childhood's 'Together We Grow' program. Quoted as a community partner: 'The foundation not only provides direct support to students and teachers but also helps strengthen the connection between our schools and our community.'
• Grata DevelopmentmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament and ELEVATE! Breakfast. Sponsored a $2,300 ELEVATE! Grant for Starside Elementary's 'Scooting into New Adventures!!!' PE program. Listed as a community partner with logo on the foundation website.
• JE Dunn ConstructionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Listed as a community partner with logo on the foundation website.
• The Hershey CompanymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament and of Mill Creek Middle School's FTC First Robotics Rookie Team ELEVATE! Grant. Logo featured on the foundation website partner section.
• First StudentmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Sponsored a $1,999 ELEVATE! Grant for Starside Elementary's 'Character Strong Tier 2 Resources' initiative.
• Azura Credit UnionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner with logo on the foundation website. A staff member (Andrea W.) is quoted praising the foundation: 'They help support the teachers and students within the district with the most love, impact, and passion than I've seen in any other school district and community.'
• A.L. Huber ConstructionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament and ELEVATE! Breakfast. Listed on the community partners section of the foundation website.
• AdventHealthmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Listed on the community partners section of the foundation website.
• McCownGordon ConstructionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Listed on the community partners section of the foundation website.
• Straub ConstructionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Listed on the community partners section of the foundation website.
• Neighbors ConstructionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Listed on the community partners section of the foundation website.
• HTK ArchitectsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament and ELEVATE! Breakfast. Listed on the community partners section of the foundation website.
• Smith & BoucherminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Listed on the community partners section of the foundation website.
• K12itcminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Also sponsored Clear Creek Elementary's Micro:bits ELEVATE! Grant.
• CBIZminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Listed on the community partners section of the foundation website.
• City of De SotominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Swinging Fore Education Golf Tournament. Listed on the community partners section of the foundation website.
• RaynorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor listed on the foundation website community partners section.
• StoneBriar FarmcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue host and co-host (with Morgan and Dan Kuchynka) for the 5th Annual Community Giving Circle (March 2026). Their support and belief in schools and community made the milestone event possible at a new venue with expanded capacity.
• Cedar Trails Exploration Center (CTEC) CAPS ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTEC students design and manufacture the trophies for the Making a Difference Award monthly. This student-built award creates a meaningful connection between the foundation's recognition program and the district's career/technical education offerings. CTEC students also benefit from ELEVATE! Grants (e.g., Onshape Professional Plan, robotics programs).

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Olathe Public Schools Foundation: Adjacent Johnson County, Kansas district education foundation supporting Olathe Public Schools (the same county and feeder region as USD 232). Operates the same model of teacher innovation grants, student assistance funds, corporate sponsorships, and signature fundraising events. Most directly comparable peer.
• Lawrence Schools Foundation: Education foundation supporting Lawrence USD 497 in Douglas County, Kansas. Operates teacher innovation grants, student scholarships, and signature fundraising events — a comparable Kansas-district foundation model.
• Blue Valley Schools Foundation: Education foundation for Blue Valley School District, another Johnson County Kansas district. Runs teacher innovation grants, student/teacher recognition programs, and signature fundraising events for an affluent suburban Kansas City-area district very similar demographically to USD 232.
• Basehor-Linwood Education Foundation: Education foundation serving Basehor-Linwood USD 458 in Leavenworth County, Kansas — a neighboring district to USD 232. Operates similar teacher grant and student assistance programs with comparable fundraising events.
• Shawnee Mission Education Foundation: Education foundation supporting Shawnee Mission School District in the same Johnson County, Kansas metro. Operates teacher grants, student scholarships, and corporate-sponsored programs with a comparable regional fundraising model.
• Spring Hill Education Foundation: Education foundation for Spring Hill USD 230 in Johnson/Miami County, Kansas. Operates teacher classroom innovation grants, student emergency funds, and community fundraising events of comparable scope and scale to USD 232 Education Foundation.
• Gardner Edgerton Education Foundation: Education foundation supporting Gardner Edgerton USD 231, a Johnson County, Kansas district adjacent to USD 232. Runs parallel teacher innovation grants and corporate-sponsored programs with similar suburban-Kansas demographic profile.

Emerging players

• DonorsChoose: National crowdfunding platform enabling public-school teachers to post classroom project needs that individual donors fund directly. Addresses the same teacher-grant gap that ELEVATE! serves but at national scale via a digital marketplace model rather than a regional foundation.

Others

• Olathe Health Charitable Foundation: Health-system philanthropy foundation where incoming USD 232 Education Foundation ED Liz Anne McElhaney served as director for 10 years. Comparable nonprofit fundraising operating model (events, corporate sponsorships, individual giving, restricted grants) but in healthcare rather than K-12 education.

Broad incumbents

• Kansas City Public Schools Education Foundation: Education foundation for Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri — a larger, urban-district foundation serving a much greater student population. Comparably structured around teacher grants and corporate sponsorships but at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/USD232EF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usd232ef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Usd 232 Education Foundation