ceef
CEEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that manages an $11M endowment and has granted over $20M to the Cupertino Union School District's 23 schools since 1984, funding teacher grants, educational programs, and a donation payment platform for CUSD families.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersCupertino, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ceef does
CEEF (Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded in 1984 that raises and deploys private philanthropic funds on behalf of the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD). The organization is the district-affiliated endowment foundation for all 23 CUSD schools — 20 elementary and 5 middle schools serving over 17,000 students across Cupertino and portions of San Jose, Sunnyvale, Saratoga, Santa Clara, and Los Altos. CEEF manages an $11M endowment and has granted over $20M to CUSD since its founding, with the endowment established in 1990 from proceeds of a joint land development project on a surplus CUSD school site.
CEEF's programmatic offerings center on the Teacher Grant Program, which provides grants of up to $500 per teacher for professional development, classroom enrichment, and innovative projects, with at least $100,000 deployed annually. The organization also operates recognition awards (Sandy Liu Community Service Leadership Award, Patricia A. Lamson Reading Literacy Scholarship, Lucretia Van Horn Memorial Art Award) and hosts the annual CEEF 5K Run for Great Schools. In August 2021, CEEF launched a proprietary Donation Portals payment processing platform for CUSD schools and parent organizations, growing from 4 participating schools at launch to 11 schools currently.
Revenue is sourced entirely from donations across multiple modalities: individual contributions (suggested at $100 per CUSD child), corporate matching programs, planned gifts (bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts), stock and mutual fund gifts, vehicle donations (via CARS partnership), tribute gifts, and donor-advised funds. CEEF is governed by a volunteer board of community leaders (President Leslie Mains, Secretary Yi Ding, Treasurer Stuart Rosenberg) and advised by Mark Curtis, ranked #1 financial advisor in America in 2024 by Barron's. The organization is independently operated, with no parent company, no external ownership, and no headcount disclosed beyond volunteer governance.
ceef firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ceef
- Legal name
- Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation
- Website
- https://ceefcares.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- CEEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that manages an $11M endowment and has granted over $20M to the Cupertino Union School District's 23 schools since 1984, funding teacher grants, educational programs, and a donation payment platform for CUSD families.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ceef industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Endowment Foundation Services
- NAICS
- 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
- K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
Keywords
Where ceef is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cupertino
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ceef business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from CUSD families and community members, with suggested donation of $100 per child. Donations can be made anonymously via PayPal.
- Corporate Matching: Many employers offer matching programs that double the impact of employee donations to CEEF.
- Planned Gifts: CEEF accepts bequests, retirement plan and life insurance plan beneficiary designations, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable lead trusts.
- Stock Gifts: Outright gifts of publicly traded stocks, bonds, or mutual funds through donor advised funds.
- Vehicle Donations: Vehicle donations through partnership with CARS (Charitable Adult Rides & Services).
- Tribute Gifts: Gifts made in memory of loved ones or in honor of family, friends or special occasions.
- Donor-Advised Fund: Donations can be made from donor-advised funds through an integrated widget on the donation page.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Teacher Grant Program - grants up to $500 per teacher |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
ceef product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CEEF raises and distributes private funds to support educational programs for the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD), operating an $11M endowment that benefits all 23 CUSD schools. The foundation funds classroom enrichment, teacher professional development, and innovative projects through its Teacher Grant Program, and operates a donation payment processing platform that lets CUSD schools and parent organizations collect donations and payments online.
Product overview
CEEF (Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation) operates as a nonprofit educational support organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings include the Teacher Grant Program (annual grants up to $500 for CUSD teachers), a Donation Portals payment processing platform for schools and parent organizations, Recognition Awards (Sandy Liu Community Service Leadership Award, Patricia A. Lamson Reading Literacy Scholarship, Lucretia Van Horn Memorial Art Award), and the annual 5K Run for Great Schools event. The organization manages an $11M endowment benefiting all 23 CUSD schools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Teacher Grant Program Annual grant program providing up to $500 per CUSD teacher to fund professional development, innovative classroom projects, and classroom enrichment materials. CEEF invests at least $100,000 annually into this program for CUSD K-8 educators.
- Donation Portals Payment processing platform built by CEEF providing one-stop donation and payment collection for CUSD schools and parent organizations. Schools can outsource payment processing to focus on parent education and fundraising, with parents and donors able to make donations or payments to schools through a unified interface.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $20M granted to CUSD and schools since 1984
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ceef
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ceef technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
ceef partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- 2026 CEEF 5K SponsorscorePlatinum sponsors: TJH, ChargePoint, Apple. Gold sponsors: DWK, SouthBay Dental, Legarza, DSC, AKG, Champions, Graystone. Silver sponsors include Facilitron, KeyPoint Credit Union, Huntington, Keenan, AlphaStar, Think Academy, Tse Group, TBK, San Jose Water, F3 Law. Bronze sponsors include various local businesses. Event draws community support and raises funds for CUSD schools.
- CUSD Parent OrganizationscoreCEEF provides payment processing platform for parent organizations at participating CUSD schools. Currently 11 schools actively using the platform.
- Cupertino Union School District (CUSD)flagshipCEEF works in partnership with CUSD to raise funds for excellent educational programs beyond federal and state funding. All philanthropic dollars raised by CEEF are directed to CUSD schools. CEEF is independent from CUSD but maintains a close collaborative relationship.
- CARS (Charitable Adult Rides & Services)minorVehicle donation partnership where CARS handles pickup, sale, and tax documentation for donated vehicles to CEEF.
- Mark Curtis (Barron's Top 100 Financial Advisor)coreMark Curtis, ranked #1 advisor in America in 2024 and consistently among Barron's Top 100 Financial Advisors since 2004, provides financial guidance for CEEF's endowment management.
- Corporate Matching ProgramsminorEmployer matching programs that double the impact of employee donations to CEEF.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ceef competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Palo Alto Education Foundation: Silicon Valley K-8 public school foundation that raises private funds for Palo Alto Unified School District programs and teacher grants. Closest geographic and structural analog to CEEF, with a similar endowment-based, community-led model.
- Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF): Adjacent Silicon Valley foundation that funds enrichment programs, teacher grants, and innovation for the Los Altos School District. Operates the same district-specific fundraising and grantmaking model as CEEF.
- Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF): Bay Area K-8 public school foundation supporting Menlo Park City School District with annual giving campaigns, endowment-style funding, and teacher grants. Directly comparable nonprofit foundation model serving a single school district.
- Sunnyvale Education Foundation: Local education foundation raising private funds for Sunnyvale School District programs, teacher grants, and classroom innovation. Operates within CUSD-adjacent geography with the same single-district grantmaking structure.
- Silicon Valley Education Foundation: Regional STEM-focused education nonprofit that raises funds and runs programs across multiple Santa Clara County school districts, including enrichment and teacher support. Comparable grantmaking-for-public-education mission with broader regional reach.
- Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF): Foundation supporting Mountain View Whisman School District through annual giving, teacher grants, and program enrichment. Direct local education foundation peer with very similar donor and grant structure to CEEF.
- Fremont Education Foundation: Bay Area nonprofit foundation that raises private funds for Fremont Unified School District classrooms, teachers, and enrichment programs. Operates the same single-district education grantmaking model as CEEF.
- San Francisco Education Fund: Nonprofit that mobilizes private support for San Francisco Unified School District, including classroom grants, teacher resources, and student programs. Broader scope but directly comparable public-school grantmaking foundation model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ceef social profiles
Digital presenceceef compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ceef financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ceef leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
ceef funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ceef M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ceef
What does ceef do?
CEEF raises and distributes private funds to support educational programs for the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD), operating an $11M endowment that benefits all 23 CUSD schools. The foundation funds classroom enrichment, teacher professional development, and innovative projects through its Teacher Grant Program, and operates a donation payment processing platform that lets CUSD schools and parent organizations collect donations and payments online.
Is ceef a public or private company?
ceef is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ceef founded?
ceef was founded in 1984.
Where is ceef based?
ceef is headquartered in Cupertino, United States, in the North America region.
How does ceef make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Matching, planned Gifts, stock Gifts, vehicle Donations, tribute Gifts and donor-Advised Fund.
Who are ceef's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Palo Alto Education Foundation, Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF), Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF), Sunnyvale Education Foundation, Silicon Valley Education Foundation, Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF), Fremont Education Foundation and San Francisco Education Fund.
Does ceef have an API?
No public API is recorded for ceef.
What industry is ceef in?
ceef's product category is Educational Endowment Foundation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 8200.