Highland Park Isd Education Foundation

What Highland Park Isd Education Foundation does

Highland Park Education Foundation (HPEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 1984/1985 and headquartered at 4201 Grassmere Lane in Dallas, Texas, that raises and manages philanthropic funds to support the Highland Park Independent School District (HPISD). The foundation operates a portfolio of interconnected programs: the Mad for Plaid annual campaign (focused on teacher and staff salary support), the Tartan Endowment (permanent fund), student and faculty scholarships, teacher innovation grants, planned giving through the Super Scot Society (established 2019), and the HPHS Alumni Association, which merged into HPEF in 2003. Since inception, the foundation has granted over $50 million to HPISD, and the endowment reached $67 million as of July 2025.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable contributions across multiple vehicles. The Mad for Plaid campaign operates tiered giving levels from $1 (Friend) to $50,000+ (Visionary), with the 2026-2027 cycle committing a record $1.9 million to the district. Additional inflows include alumni membership subscriptions, planned giving (bequests, retirement beneficiary designations, donor-advised funds), corporate matching gifts, stock donations, and class-based giving programs. Distribution is a direct-to-consumer model via the hpef.org website (built on Wix) supplemented by multi-channel community engagement: email newsletters (Impact HP donor newsletter with 65% open rate), the annual Scot Times magazine, and events such as the Golden Scots Luncheon (400-500 attendees) and Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner.

The foundation is governed by a Board of Directors led by President Claire Baker, with Executive Director Meg Jones Boyd (HPHS Class of 1996) running a lean staff of 7-8 employees covering advancement, finance, data operations, scholarships, communications, and alumni relations. It maintains Charity Navigator 4-Star and Candid Platinum Seal transparency ratings (both 2025), serves a community of 19,000+ HPHS alumni globally, and operates exclusively within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with no geographic expansion plans evidenced.

Name

Highland Park Isd Education Foundation

Legal name

Highland Park Education Foundation

Website

https://hpef.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Highland Park Education Foundation is a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises philanthropic funds to support the Highland Park Independent School District through annual campaigns, a $67 million endowment, scholarships, and alumni engagement programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Mad for Plaid Annual Campaign: Annual fundraising campaign for teacher and staff salary support. Donors contribute at various levels from Friend ($1-$999) to Visionary ($50,000+). Gifted $1.8 million to HPISD in 2025-2026 and committed $1.9 million for 2026-2027.
2. Alumni Membership: HPHS Alumni Association membership fees that support communications, events, and operations. Membership offers benefits including online alumni directory access, event invitations, and Scot Times publication.
3. Tartan Endowment: Planned giving through endowment donations, Legacy Fund pledge payments, and endowed scholarship funds supporting long-term financial sustainability.
4. Planned Giving (Super Scot Society): Bequests through wills, beneficiary designations from life insurance or retirement plans, and donor-advised fund gifts.
5. Corporate Matching Gifts: Corporate gift matching programs where employers match employee donations to amplify impact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Highland Park Education Foundation (HPEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises and manages philanthropic funds to support Highland Park Independent School District (HPISD). It operates annual giving campaigns (Mad for Plaid), a permanent endowment (Tartan Endowment/Lead for Tomorrow), planned giving programs (Super Scot Society), student and faculty scholarships, teacher innovation grants, and the HPHS Alumni Association, distributing funds to teacher/staff salaries and educational programs.

Product overview

The Highland Park Education Foundation (HPEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as a unified foundation offering multiple interconnected programs to support Highland Park ISD. The core offerings include Mad for Plaid (annual campaign supporting teacher/staff salaries), the Tartan Endowment (permanent endowment fund), Student Scholarships, and the Super Scot Society (planned giving). Additional programs include the HPHS Alumni Association with Distinguished Alumni Awards and Golden Scots Luncheon, Veterans Plaque & Documentary Program, Lead for Tomorrow Campaign, Class Giving Program, and Teacher Innovation Grants. The Foundation has granted over $50 million to HPISD over 40 years and operates with a 2026-2027 Mad for Plaid commitment of $1.9 million for salary support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mad for Plaid: Annual campaign raising public support for HPISD's critical budget needs, specifically teacher and staff salaries.
• Lead for Tomorrow Campaign
• Super Scot Society
• Leadership Society

Products and services

• Mad for Plaid Annual Campaign The annual fundraising campaign of HPEF that raises public support for HPISD's critical budget needs, specifically focused on teacher and staff salaries. The 2026-2027 campaign has committed a $1.9 million gift to the District. Gift levels range from Friend ($1-$999) to Visionary ($50,000+).
• Student & Faculty Scholarships Scholarships granted to graduating HPHS seniors and HPISD faculty/staff, funded through donor generosity and endowed scholarship funds.
• Tartan Endowment A permanent endowment fund that establishes a legacy for HPISD, allowing donors to make gifts of any size to existing endowed funds or pledge payments on their Legacy Fund.
• Super Scot Society (Planned Giving) Planned giving program established in 2019 that recognizes donors who include the Highland Park Education Foundation in their will, living trust, or name as a beneficiary of life insurance, retirement plan, or Donor-Advised Fund.
• HPHS Alumni Association Alumni association supporting Highland Park High School's academic excellence by honoring the school's heritage and traditions while developing relationships among more than 19,000 alumni worldwide. Membership provides online directory access, event invitations, and Scot Times publication.
• Distinguished Alumni Awards Annual awards program honoring outstanding HPHS alumni for their achievements and contributions. Includes Distinguished Alumni Award, Distinguished Service Award, and Highlander Award categories.
• Lead for Tomorrow Campaign Endowment capital campaign with a $40 million goal to build the district's permanent endowment for long-term financial sustainability of HPISD.
• Golden Scots Luncheon Annual luncheon honoring HPHS graduates who have graduated at least 50 years ago. The largest gathering of HPHS alumni with 400-500 attendees annually.
• Class Reunion Services Assistance provided to class officers and committee members to help plan class reunions, including mailing lists, locating lost alumni, venue recommendations, and guidance for reunions every 5 years following graduation through the 60-year reunion.
• Class Giving Program Tiered giving program for HPHS class partners with Scots Partner ($1-$999), Highlander Partner ($1,000-$2,499), Gold Partner ($2,500-$9,999), and Plaid Partner ($10,000+) levels offering various recognition benefits.
• Teacher Innovation Grants Grants for teacher innovation projects and professional development, supporting educators in implementing innovative teaching approaches.
• Veterans Plaque & Documentary Program Commemorative plaque honoring HP alumni who served in American wars or conflicts, displayed at HPHS main entrance. Includes documentary films capturing veteran alumni experiences in WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $50 million granted to HPISD over 40 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Highland Park Independent School District (HPISD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary partner organization. HPEF provides teacher and staff salary support, student and faculty scholarships, grants for teacher innovation projects, and supports the Moody Innovation Institute. The foundation's mission is to rally the community to raise critical funds for HPISD's tradition of exemplary education.
• HPHS Alumni AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerged with the Highland Park Education Foundation in 2003 to form a single organization serving students, alumni, parents, and friends of the school district. Provides alumni engagement, reunions, Distinguished Alumni Awards, and Golden Scots events.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Allen ISD Education Foundation: Education foundation supporting Allen ISD in North Texas. Directly comparable as a DFW-area ISD-focused grantmaking foundation with similar programs for teacher innovation, scholarships, and district funding support.
• Coppell ISD Education Foundation: Education foundation supporting Coppell ISD in the DFW metroplex. Comparable Texas suburban ISD foundation with teacher grants, scholarships, and district partnership model similar to HPEF.
• Lewisville ISD Education Foundation: Education foundation supporting Lewisville ISD in the DFW metroplex. Directly comparable as a neighboring Texas district-level foundation with similar teacher grant, scholarship, and alumni engagement programs.
• Eanes Education Foundation: Foundation supporting Eanes ISD in West Lake Hills, Texas — another affluent suburban Texas school district. Most directly comparable peer given similar wealthy-suburban-Texas-ISD structure, annual salary-support campaigns, and endowments.
• Plano ISD Education Foundation: Education foundation serving Plano ISD in the DFW metroplex. Comparable Texas district-level education foundation supporting teacher grants, scholarships, and innovative programs for a large suburban district.

Broad incumbents

• The Dallas Foundation: Community foundation serving the greater Dallas region with grantmaking across multiple causes including education. Comparable as a Dallas-area foundation but operates with broader geographic scope and cause mandate than HPEF.
• Communities Foundation of Texas: Dallas-based community foundation that grants to education and other causes across North Texas. Comparable as a regional grantmaking entity, but operates at much larger scale and broader mission than HPEF's single-district focus.

Emerging players

• DonorsChoose: National nonprofit crowdfunding platform for public school teacher needs. Thematically adjacent — both channel philanthropic dollars to K-12 teachers and classrooms — but uses a digital marketplace model rather than HPEF's single-district foundation model.

Regional players

• Austin Ed Fund: Foundation supporting Austin ISD in Central Texas. Comparable as a Texas ISD education foundation with similar teacher innovation grant and scholarship programs, though serving a different metropolitan area.
• Dallas Education Foundation: Foundation serving Dallas ISD, the largest district in the DFW area. Comparable as a regional Texas ISD foundation but focused on a much larger, urban district with different donor demographics than HPEF's affluent Park Cities base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hpeducationfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highland-park-isd-education-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/hpeducationfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Highland Park Isd Education Foundation