The Pasadena Educational Foundation was founded in 1971 by the late teacher Jarratt Brunson to support Pasadena Unified School District schools. Jarratt wanted to dole out grants to community educators for special projects not covered in school budgets, and from there the Teacher Grant Program was born. For the past 43 years, PEF has given out Teacher Grants to PUSD teachers to pursue classroom-enhancing projects in the arts, foreign languages, literacy, STEM, and more to benefit thousands of students in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre. In addition, PEF awards School-Wide Grants to PUSD principals to pursue large, campus-focused projects. On Tuesday, December 3rd, PEF held an annual Teacher Grant Reception at the Altadena Town and Country Club where 169 teachers and principals received $200,000 in awards to turn 136 ideas into reality.
See Our Full List of Grants | Visit Our Awards Reception Gallery | Donate to Support Teacher Grants
Out of the grantees, three recipients were selected to receive the following special awards:
The Jarratt Brunson Memorial Teacher Grant Award was given to Debbie Breitenstein, Teacher at Norma Coombs Elementary School for her project “Building a Home Library”.
The Kathy Onoye Principal’s Award was given to Brian Stanley, Principal of Rose City High School for Student Internships.
The Calvin Hunt Arts Education Award was given to Karen Klages, Teacher at John Muir High School for Muir’s Band and Orchestra Program.
PEF Teacher Grants are made possible with generous support from the College Football Playoff Foundation, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, FEDCO Charitable Foundation, California Community Foundation, and individual community donors. If you would like to make a donation to the PEF Teacher Grant Program, please contact Marleni Jimenez at mjimenez@pasedfoundation.org
