La Crosse Public Education Foundation

What La Crosse Public Education Foundation does

La Crosse Public Education Foundation (LPEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity founded in 1989 and headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Its mission is to enhance learning opportunities for students in the School District of La Crosse and to promote community understanding and support for public education. The foundation operates as the sole community-funded supplemental grant and program vehicle aligned with the school district, serving students in Pre-K through 12th grade across 15 schools including Central High School, Logan High School, Lincoln Middle School, Logan Middle School, Longfellow Middle School, and multiple elementary schools.

LPEF's core programmatic offerings center on three pillars. First, Gold Star Grants — a competitive grant channel that awards funding to educators for innovative classroom projects; cohort sizes range from 13 to 22 projects and grant rounds have ranged from approximately $40,584 to $53,614 per cycle. Second, Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) — a discretionary, no-questions-asked fund enabling school staff to cover students' basic needs such as clothing, hygiene items, eyeglasses, supplies, and field trip fees. Third, educator recognition programs including the annual Thank A Teacher Day (reaching nearly 1,000 staff) and Salute to Retiring Educators. Supporting these programs is a portfolio of permanently restricted endowed funds managed in partnership with the La Crosse Area Community Foundation.

The foundation is funded entirely through charitable contributions — no products or services are sold. Revenue streams include individual donations, corporate giving organized into Champion, Principal, and Valedictorian Education Investor tiers (with nine named corporate partners led by Marine Credit Union, Festival Foods, Coulee Bank, Loffler, Coulee Regional Mechanical, Altra Foundation, Trust Point, Emplify Health by Gundersen, and Fowler & Hammer), endowed fund contributions, and event-based fundraising through the Bowtie Classic Golf Outing (raised over $250,000 cumulatively from 2014-2025) and the Bowtie Raffle. In 2025 the foundation engaged 686 community supporters and channeled a total of $474,000 in support to the district. Governance is by an independent volunteer board of directors under Executive Director Nell Saunders-Scott, who succeeded prior Executive Director David Stoeffler. The foundation holds Charity Navigator's Four-Star Rating, GuideStar's Platinum Seal of Transparency, and is a member of the National Association of Education Foundations.

Name

La Crosse Public Education Foundation

Legal name

La Crosse Public Education Foundation

Website

https://lacrosseeducationfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La Crosse Public Education Foundation (LPEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises and distributes charitable funds — primarily through Gold Star Grants, Random Acts of Kindness, and educator recognition — to enhance learning for students across the School District of La Crosse's 15 Pre-K-12 schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Foundation Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Education grants
• Public education support
• Teacher recognition programs
• Classroom innovation funding
• Student basic needs

Headquarters

HQ city

La Crosse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals in the La Crosse community who support public education. The foundation receives donations through its website and direct giving programs.
2. Corporate Giving and Sponsorships: Support from businesses including Champion Education Investors, Principal Education Investors, and Valedictorian Education Investors. Includes presenting sponsors for events like the Bowtie Classic.
3. Endowment Funds: Permanent endowment funds established by donors that generate ongoing income for specific purposes such as educator advancement, music education, physical fitness, and Random Acts of Kindness.
4. Event Fundraising: Revenue from signature events including the Bowtie Classic Golf Outing and Knowledge Open (raised over $250,000 since 2014) and Bowtie Raffle.

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

La Crosse Public Education Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that funds and operates grant, recognition, basic-needs, and community-engagement programs for students and educators in the School District of La Crosse. It collects tax-deductible donations from individuals, businesses, and endowments and disburses them through competitive Gold Star Grants, Random Acts of Kindness student support, endowed funds, and signature fundraising events.

Product overview

La Crosse Public Education Foundation operates as a non-profit educational support organization rather than a commercial product company. The Foundation offers a portfolio of giving programs centered around its core mission to enhance learning opportunities for students in the School District of La Crosse. The primary programs include Gold Star Grants (competitive classroom innovation funding), Random Acts of Kindness (emergency student support), endowed funds for perpetual educational support, and annual recognition programs for educators. The Foundation also hosts fundraising events including the Bowtie Classic Golf Outing and Bowtie Raffle. These programs work together to provide community-funded educational enhancements that would otherwise be unavailable through standard school district funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gold Star Grants Competitive grant program that awards funding to School District of La Crosse educators for innovative classroom projects, supporting student engagement, expanded teacher skills, and collaborative learning across Pre-K through grade 12.
• Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Discretionary fund program that lets school staff provide immediate, no-questions-asked support to students for basic necessities including clothing, hygiene supplies, eyeglasses, school supplies, and field trip fees.
• Salute to Retiring Educators Annual celebration honoring retiring teachers and staff from the School District of La Crosse, recognizing their years of service; supported by Fowler & Hammer as Salute to Educators Sponsor.
• Thank A Teacher Day Annual teacher appreciation event held during National Teacher Appreciation Week, featuring breakfast deliveries and recognition celebrations for nearly 1,000 teachers and staff across the School District of La Crosse.
• Support-a-School Crowdfunding Online crowdfunding platform letting donors direct contributions to specific schools or educational projects within the School District of La Crosse.
• Bowtie Classic Golf Outing Annual charity golf fundraiser featuring Knowledge Open trivia challenges hosted by National Honor Society students, generating over $250,000 from 2014 to 2025 for LPEF programs.
• Bowtie Raffle Annual raffle event continuing the Bowtie Classic legacy, with prize drawings including e-bikes and cash prizes, held during the Central vs Logan High football game at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
• Endowed Funds Permanently restricted endowment funds established by donors to provide perpetual income for specific educational priorities including music education, physical fitness, environmental education, leadership, arts, literacy, and Random Acts of Kindness (RAK Forever Fund).

Quantifiable outcome

• 686 community supporters engaged in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• School District of La CrossecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary strategic partner for all LPEF programs. LPEF enhances learning opportunities for students in the School District of La Crosse and promotes community understanding and support for public education. All Gold Star Grants, Random Acts of Kindness, and teacher recognition programs serve district schools, students, and educators.
• La Crosse Area Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner managing numerous endowment funds that support LPEF programs. Multiple funds including Tom and Judy Sleik Family Fund, Duane and Carol Taebel Fund, Tyser Power of Nature Fund, and others provide underwriting for Gold Star Grants.
• Western Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Logan High School Building and Construction class to construct tiny home for special education life-skills program.
• La Crosse Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for bringing children's book author visits to district elementary schools.
• National Honor Society StudentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNHS students at each golf hole asking trivia questions for Knowledge Open portion of Bowtie Classic events.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• DonorsChoose: National crowdfunding platform that connects donors directly to public school teachers for classroom project funding. Competes for the same donor dollars and addresses the same classroom-funding gap, but operates nationally with a digital-only model.

Direct peers

• Denver Public Schools Foundation: Foundation that partners with Denver Public Schools to fund innovation, equity, and student-success programs. Comparable single-district focus with broader program portfolio and significantly larger donor base.
• Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation: Nonprofit education foundation supporting Indianapolis Public Schools through grants, scholarships, and teacher initiatives. Mirrors LPEF's mission and program structure at a larger urban district scale.
• Pittsburgh Public Schools Foundation: Education foundation supporting Pittsburgh Public Schools through classroom grants, student supports, and educator recognition programs. Operates a Gold Star Grants-style program and event-driven fundraising similar to LPEF.
• Racine Community Foundation: Wisconsin community foundation that administers scholarship and education-grantmaking funds for Racine Unified School District. Comparable in scope, geographic footprint, and donor-supported grantmaking model.
• Appleton Education Foundation: Wisconsin-based community education foundation that raises funds and awards grants to enrich public school programming. Operates with a similar model of individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and classroom innovation grants to a single school district.
• Madison Education Partnership: Wisconsin education foundation supporting Madison Metropolitan School District through grantmaking, teacher recognition, and community engagement programs. Closely comparable mission, scale, and donor-base profile to LPEF.
• EdVestors (Boston): Nonprofit that raises private funds and partners with Boston Public Schools to drive innovation, equity, and improvement in district schools. Closely aligned in mission (community-funded public school enhancement) but operates at a meaningfully larger scale.

Regional players

• Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation: Wisconsin-based foundation supporting Milwaukee Public Schools via classroom grants and student/teacher programs. Operates in the same state and education foundation category but serves a much larger urban district.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Education Foundations (NAEF): National membership organization supporting local education foundations like LPEF with resources, networking, and best-practice standards. LPEF is a current member; relevant as an industry-body peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lacrossepubliceducationfou1572
• Facebookfacebook.com/lacrosseeducationfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-crosse-public-education-foundation

Compliance3 records

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 La Crosse Public Education Foundation