The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
BEF has a strong track record supporting innovation in Beaverton public schools. We leverage money, volunteers, and in-kind support for academic enrichment that is otherwise not possible within normal school funding. Our proven model of success empowers from the bottom-up, turning educators’ innovative ideas to meet student needs into powerful solutions that can be scaled up to benefit thousands of students and advance equity. In 2022-23, BEF invested $406,787 in programs + projects, serving 28,706 students.
BEF serves the Beaverton School District: 54 schools in Beaverton and unincorporated Washington County, Oregon. Beaverton is the third largest school district in Oregon, enrolling 39,180 students, and is highly diverse: 56.7% are students of color, 13.3% of students are classified as English Language Learners with 93 languages spoken at home, 32.6% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch, and 4.5% of students experience homelessness.
Among school foundations, we are fairly unique. While others raise and distribute funds equally across district schools or hire additional educators, BEF focuses on direct financial support – targeting gaps in available public funding – to boost out of school time programs, classroom innovation, and cross-cutting initiatives. Cognizant of disparities among schools in this diverse community, we use an equity lens in all decisions. We prioritize work with our “grassroots” – classroom teachers, educators, and principals who best know their students’ needs and can elevate issues or concerns to us to be addressed. With these partners, we jointly identify issues, explore ideas, and test possible solutions.