Every Student. Every School. Every Day. DONATE!
Supporting Our Schools Makes a Real Impact
Pasadena Educational Foundation harnesses the power of our committed community to help to raise between $12 and $15 million dollars a year for the Pasadena Unified School District. Those funds include large government grants, foundation grants, and individual donations, which together help us support myriad essential programs from the large to the small. Some programs are run by PEF, others by PUSD, and still others represent various levels of partnership. From the smallest Friendship Bench to the largest Magnet Program, PEF works with our community partners to impact every student, every school, every day!
With support from our community we:
- Raised millions in grant money for our schools, including the $14.5 million Federal Magnet Grant.
- Helped PUSD to integrate arts education at every grade level through grants from the Rothenberg Art Fund and Tony Bennett’s Exploring the Arts Foundation.
- Piloted the middle school performing arts program, Open Stage serving 300 students at 5 schools with a $79,500 NEA Grant.
- Led 8,000 K-6 grade students on a cultural and artistic journey through 10 of our local world class museums with our My Masterpieces program. PEF was awarded a $20,000 Art Alliance Image Award to help support the My Masterpieces program.
- Expanded early education dance and theatre programs with integrated arts curriculum from PreK through the second grade throughout the district.
- Awarded 136 Teacher Grants to 169 educators including 18 school-wide grants totaling more than $2303 ,000.
- Provided transportation for approximately 300 class field trips for thousands of students through our Field Trip Fund.
- Assisted in securing buses to take every third grader to learn water safety and swimming skills in the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center’s PUSD swim program.
- Bolstered access to vital services and healthy living resources at the new Office of Student and Family Services headquartered at Madison Elementary in the heart of our Northwest Pasadena community.
- Provided scholarships almost 40% of our more than 1,000 Summer Enrichment Program students.
- Distributed more than $85,000 in college scholarships.
- Secured $25,000 to provide summer internship stipends for 130 high school students.
- Supported each school’s Annual Fund efforts which collectively raised over $1.000,000.
- Developed the nationally recognized Realty Initiative to partner with our community’s realtors to disseminates accurate information about our public schools.
- Expanded the School-Community Gardens to include 9 beautiful edible gardens and outdoor classrooms, including a master gardener and farm to table programs.
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Supported the expansion of athletic programs and facilities including the renovation of Stadium 42, John Muir’s baseball field and a new scoreboard at Blair.
- Developed and incubated inventive STEM programs, such as the App Academy at Pasadena High, middle school robotics, 3D printing and virtual reality stations, and the new Math Academy that is radically accelerating mathematics instruction.
- And more…
We are making our schools and our community stronger. We couldn’t do it without you!
OUR STORIES
Here are our latest updates & stories.
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A Community Reunited Through Resilience
Celebrating Our Schools: Resilience An evening of student voices, shared healing, and the power of public education to bring us together. On April 29, more than 300 guests joined the…
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Giftogram and PEF Partner to Support PUSD Families After the Eaton Fire
The Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF) partnered with Giftogram to provide emergency financial assistance to more than 1,500 households within the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) community affected by the Eaton…
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PUSD’s First High School Student-Led Conference in DTLA!
Student organizers, panelists, and attendees pose with keynote speaker Dr. Tyrone Howard; photos by Helen Chan Hill On April 2, 2025, more than 100 PUSD high school students, teachers, and…
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PEF and the Eaton Fire Collaborative – Press Conference
PEF is proud to serve as a lead organization in the Eaton Fire Collaborative, an initiative that began shortly after the fire to support recovery in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra…
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PEF Partners with Instacart To Support PUSD Schools’ Fire Recovery
Pasadena Educational Foundation and Pasadena Unified School District have partnered with Instacart to support schools affected by the Eaton Fire through the “Classroom Carts” initiative. This innovative program allows anyone…
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Student Voice: Solidarity with La Raza
By Alessandro M. Throughout the month of February, many anti-ICE protests occurred throughout the state of California. On the afternoon of February 7, 2025 students of four PUSD high schools…
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Student Voice: Marching for Justice
Photos by Andrew Silk, John Muir HS By Lula M. On February 7, 2025, students from four PUSD high schools walked out in support of immigrants. When I first heard…
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Student Voice: “Human connection will shine a light on the path forward”
By Paulina M. Paulina, a senior at Pasadena High School, delivered a shorter version of this speech at Pasadena Unified School District’s January 22, 2025 Welcome Back Reopen, Restore, Rebuild…
Help Our Schools Thrive!
With your support the Pasadena Educational Foundation helps to create a vibrant and enriching educational experience for all public school children in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre.