Our Foundation

Redwood City Education Foundation

The Redwood City Education Foundation works to ensure that our city can offer a world-class public education to every elementary student in our community. We accomplish this by raising funds to support our students, classrooms, and schools and then investing in people and organizations that can help close the achievement gap and keep all students on the path to college. RCEF currently funds the Music for Minors Program, Robotics and STEM programs, and SMART grants that principals can apply to. We seek to fund much more as we grow.

Learn More About Our Foundation

Donate to Our District and Schools

The Redwood City Education Foundation (RCEF) serves as the fiscal sponsor for school-site fundraising for the Redwood City School District, supporting school and classroom-based projects and initiatives as well as Districtwide services. 100% of funds are directly earmarked for each project.

A fiscal sponsorship partnership allows each school to conduct its own fundraising under RCEF’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. This means that all donated funds are tax-deductible for the donor. Projects that are supported through this partnership include school supply drives, field trips, book drives, school clubs, and other initiatives and projects.

How it Works:
When a teacher, principal, or parents wishes to fundraise for projects during the school year outside of the PTO, they can request donations through:

Our Fundraising Website

Individuals can also donate via check paid to the order of “Redwood City Education Foundation” and mailed to the District Office at 750 Bradford Street. This replaces fundraisers through other online platforms such as GoFundMe or Facebook. These donations are then passed through directly to the school, which receives 100% of donated funds.

RCEF is in charge of accounting for these donations, issuing donation receipts to the donor, producing donation reports, and making quarterly disbursements back to the District.

The District is in charge of disbursing funds directly to the school site as they arrive and paying RCEF’s 10% administrative fee.

Donors can claim a tax deduction for their contribution by using RCEF’s tax ID: 94–2903141.

The benefits
● Donors may now claim a tax deduction for their contribution
● School site fundraising is centralized, transparent, and accountable
● Fundraising process is convenient and streamlined
● Donors receive hands-on administrative support
● Funding opportunities grow

Frequently Asked Questions About Making a Donation

How can I donate?

Are donations to my school currently tax deductible?

Why is my donation going to RCEF and not directly to the School?

As the fiscal sponsor of the District, RCEF receives donations using its tax-exempt status so that donations may be tax-deductible for the donor. Donations are then passed through, dollar for dollar, to the school site via the School District to support the designated project. This is a common practice in the nonprofit sector. For more information about how fiscal sponsor partnerships work, visit the National Council of Nonprofits website for more information.

How can I designate my donation towards a specific project?

Will the school receive the full amount of my donation?

Does RCEF charge an administrative fee?

What process exists to maintain accountability?

The District has access to the donation platform, so it can see all donations that are made. Quarterly, RCEF produces a report to the District showing each donation, the donor, the amount, and the intended purpose of the donation. RCEF also reports to the IRS the donations that are made and undergoes an annual independent audit to ensure accurate accounting. Furthermore, donated funds are held in a separate bank account to prevent commingling.

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