Cleburne Education Foundation

What Cleburne Education Foundation does

Cleburne Education Foundation (CEF) is a 501(c)-equivalent Texas nonprofit that operates as the primary private fundraising arm for the Cleburne Independent School District. Founded in 2009 as "Friends of Cleburne" and rebranded under its current name, CEF channels 100% privately donated funds into educational programs that public school budgets do not cover. The organization delivers four educator grant programs (Impact Grants up to $5,000, Campus Grants up to $7,500, Mini-Grants up to $500, and Rookie Grants for first-year teachers), at least six named scholarship programs for graduating seniors, and a bilingual PreK book distribution initiative called the Carolyn Cody Book Project.

CEF generates revenue entirely through private donations, event sponsorships, and ticket/registration proceeds from two signature annual events: the Nashville Lights singer/songwriter music event and the Tour de Goatneck bike ride (one of Texas's largest, inherited by CEF in 2022). Donations are accepted via online platform (Bloomerang CRM), mail, and event participation. The foundation distributes funds through grant cycles administered to Cleburne ISD teachers and principals, and through scholarships awarded to Cleburne High School seniors pursuing higher education or trade careers. Since 2012, CEF has donated over $1.2 million in classroom and campus grants.

The organization operates with a small staff (1-10 employees) led by Executive Director Paige Harris and a Board of Directors comprising local banking, legal, and education-sector leaders. It has no technology platform, no proprietary software, and no external investment — its competitive position rests on 15+ years of community trust, 75+ active volunteers, and exclusive donor relationships within a single Texas school district.

Name

Cleburne Education Foundation

Legal name

Cleburne Education Foundation

Website

https://cleburneeducationfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cleburne Education Foundation is a Texas nonprofit that raises private donations to fund educator grants, student scholarships, and PreK literacy programs exclusively for the Cleburne Independent School District, supported by annual Nashville Lights and Tour de Goatneck fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Nonprofit Grants and Scholarships

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Education foundation grants
• Student scholarship programs
• Classroom educator grants
• Community fundraising events
• Nonprofit literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleburne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: One-time and recurring donations from community members, businesses, and supporters that directly fund educator grants, student scholarships, and innovative learning initiatives in Cleburne ISD.
2. Event Sponsorships: Corporate and individual sponsorships for annual fundraising events including Nashville Lights singer/songwriter music event and Tour de Goatneck bike ride.
3. Event Proceeds: Ticket sales, raffle items, and live auction proceeds from the annual Nashville Lights event benefit the foundation and fund scholarships for students pursuing music careers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cleburne Education Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that raises private donations from the Cleburne community and redistributes the funds as educator grants (Impact, Campus, Mini, and Rookie Grants), graduating senior scholarships, and a PreK literacy book program for students in Cleburne Independent School District. It also operates two annual fundraising events—Nashville Lights (a singer/songwriter music event) and Tour de Goatneck (a bike ride)—whose proceeds and sponsorships fund the foundation's educational programs.

Product overview

Cleburne Education Foundation is a non-profit organization (not a technology company) that provides educational support programs for Cleburne ISD. The organization offers four types of educator grants (Impact Grant, Campus Grant, Mini-Grant, and Rookie Grant), six scholarship programs for graduating seniors, a Pre-K Reading program (Carolyn Cody Book Project), and hosts two annual fundraising events (Nashville Lights music event and Tour de Goatneck bike ride). Since 2012, CEF has donated over $1.2 million to classroom grants and district initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Impact Grant

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.2 Million in classroom grants donated
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• Golden Pride AlumniminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Partnership between Cleburne Education Foundation and Cleburne High School's Golden Pride Alumni to establish the Helmcamp Memorial Scholarship in February 2022, honoring Richard 'Dick' Helmcamp who served as band director from 1970 to 1994.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Birdville ISD Education Foundation: North Texas school-district education foundation serving Birdville ISD with educator grants, student scholarships, and signature fundraising events - directly comparable single-ISD foundation model to CEF. Operates the same district-wide K-12 nonprofit playbook in a neighboring Tarrant County market.
• McKinney Education Foundation: Education foundation serving McKinney ISD with teacher grants and student scholarships funded by community donations and signature events. Closely comparable Texas single-district K-12 foundation model with parallel grant ladder and scholarship structure.
• Lubbock Education Foundation: West Texas school-district education foundation that channels private donations to Lubbock ISD educators and students through grants and scholarships. Same single-ISD K-12 support mission, same donation-and-events funding model, and similar scale as CEF.
• Wylie ISD Education Foundation: North Texas single-district education foundation supporting Wylie ISD through teacher grants and student scholarships funded by community fundraising. Direct structural peer operating in an adjacent North Texas market with the same playbook.
• Allen ISD Education Foundation: Education foundation serving Allen ISD with educator grants, scholarships, and signature fundraising events. Comparable North Texas single-district K-12 foundation model with a tiered grant program and signature event fundraising.
• Abilene Education Foundation: Education foundation serving Abilene ISD via community-funded teacher grants and student scholarships. Same single-district Texas K-12 foundation structure, with similar reliance on community giving and signature events.

Broad incumbents

• Communities Foundation of Texas: Texas-wide community foundation managing donor-advised funds and grantmaking across North Texas, including Johnson and Tarrant Counties. A much larger incumbent operating a broader grantmaking platform; comparable in mission (community-funded charitable giving) but not focused on a single school district.
• DonorsChoose: National nonprofit platform that funds public school classroom projects through small-dollar donor contributions. Overlaps with CEF's core educator grant mission (channeling private donations to public school teacher projects) but operates nationally and online at far larger scale.
• AdoptAClassroom.org: National nonprofit that directs private donations to public school teachers for classroom resources. A scaled, distributed alternative to CEF's Mini-Grant and Impact Grant tiers, but operating nationwide rather than inside a single district.

Regional players

• United Way of Tarrant County: Regional giving organization serving Tarrant County (which includes Cleburne-area communities) with annual fundraising campaigns that distribute to vetted nonprofits including education initiatives. Comparable only in operating geography and donor base, not in single-district focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nashlights
• Instagraminstagram.com/nashvillelightscef
• Xx.com/CleburneEd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleburne-education-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Cleburne Education Foundation