About YSF

Who Are We?

The Yakima Schools Foundation, founded in 1991, is a grass roots community based organization working to expand and enhance learning opportunities for students attending school in the Yakima School District. As a private nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization the Foundation has the flexibility to seek, accept, invest and channel funds without the restrictions imposed on public school districts.

Vision Statement

The Yakima Schools Foundation is an independent non-profit community-based organization. Its goal is to provide enhanced learning opportunities for students by funding projects, materials, and activities beyond the scope or ability of the Yakima School District.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Yakima Schools Foundation is to enhance educational programs offered within the Yakima School District No. 7 by raising money to fund immediate needs and by establishing and maintaining perpetual funding sources, as well as increasing community involvement in the Yakima Public Schools

How Are We Funded?

The Yakima Schools Foundation raises funds from a variety of private sources. Occasionally people recognize a need in the schools for a piece of equipment, a special program or activity and give money to the YSF with a specific designation in mind. Other donors give undesignated funds, which the board uses to meet a broad range of grant requests. Several supporters have established endowments for certain underfunded programs such as debate teams at both Eisenhower and Davis, K-5 Fine Arts Education, and helping needy high school students with expenses associated with co-curricular activities.

The Foundation communicates needs and solicits funds through its newsletters and written appeals. Community participation has been encouraged through two signature events, the fall Tour de Harvest and the spring Celebrate Our Youth Breakfast. Each generates approximately $40,000 to fund operations and grants for educational programs. From time to time the YSF also receives memorial gifts given in celebration or honor of an individual. Automatic payroll deductions from school district employees provide an increasingly significant source of funding. Additionally, a significant amount of the executive director's time is spent seeking funding from local service clubs, local businesses, and other organizations to help fund the requests submitted to the Foundation.

Gifts to the Foundation range from $5 to $100,000. The number of donors has increased steadily from 8 in 1994 to over 400 in 2002.

To find out more about donating to the Yakima Schools Foundation, click here.

How Are Funds Used?

Funds raised by the Foundation allow the community to augment and enhance learning opportunities in Yakima School District classrooms. Frequently educators request special equipment such as projectors, computers, printers, and software. For example, Davis High School received funding for a much needed simultaneous translation system. Other funding requests focus on learning materials such as videos and daily planning organizers for middle school students. Funding for field trips that make it possible for students to see real life situations outside the classroom are another common request because District money for these is extremely limited. Money to purchase warm clothing for high needs students is a common wintertime request. Leadership camp scholarships, sports equipment, band instruments, choir uniforms and trips are other examples of typical requests. For each of the last several years grant proposals totaled $120-200,000, while grant awards totaled $50-90,000 per year.

Who Manages the Foundation?

Dedicated board members volunteered their time to manage the Foundation for the first few years, but two failed levy elections in 1998 served as a call to arms. The Foundation hired Nancy Leahy as its first executive director. During her eight-month tenure, revenue and disbursements tripled. With her departure to Arizona, Patty Dion, the current executive director, was hired. She manages a budget of approximately $200,000 and an endowment of approximately $300,000 from a small office with the help of a volunteer bookkeeper. The Foundation continues to have a hard working Board of Directors involved in every aspect of the organization, including fund raising, allocation, fiscal management, newsletter production, and promotion. The Board has had excellent leadership through the years by presidents: Don Moen (1993-1995), Walt Hefner (1995-1997), Hamilton Licht (1997-2000), Paul Larson (2000-2001), Jim Meyer (2001-2003), Sue Ford (2003-2006), and Ryan Beckett (2006 to present).

How Does the Foundation Impact Public Education in Yakima?

Since its formation the Foundation has contributed to the education process in several ways. First, faculty, parents, students, or administrators with an educational program proposal may submit grant applications to the Foundation, which are reviewed initially by the Allocations Committee and then by the Board of Directors. If the project promotes the learning goals of the Yakima School District and if funds are available, a grant is awarded. Secondly, the Foundation accepts gifts of equipment, such as the 26 computers recently donated by Quest Membership Services, books or other materials. Finally, the executive director serves as a full time advocate for public education, building partnerships with businesses and service organizations throughout Yakima, in the course of seeking funding for requests submitted by educators. These last two roles of the Foundation have been described by Rob Bickler, the previous publisher of the Yakima Herald Republic, as "value added", meaning there are benefits the Foundation provides to the schools by virtue of functioning as a visible advocate for public education.

What Is the Long Term Goal of the Foundation?

The goal of the Foundation is to affect the education process proactively by directing resources to programs that enrich the education opportunities beyond the basics provided by the State Legislature. This requires sizeable resources and committed donors. The experience gained and the momentum generated in the first eleven years of operation give us reason to believe that YSF is playing a significant role in enhancing and enriching the educational experience for many students.

We welcome your partnership in building opportunities for Yakima's promising young students.

Download further information

Download the 2007 Annual Report [ 788 KB]

Download the Bylaws of the Yakima Schools Foundation [ 46 KB]

Download the YSF Codes of Business Conduct: Policies and Procedures [ 60 KB]

Download the YSF Investment Policy Statement [ 80 KB]

Volunteers

Our volunteers are the key to our success. You often hear that the heart of any organization is those who give their TIME, TALENT, and TREASURE. All are so important to the Yakima Schools Foundation.

Please contact us if you would like to volunteer.