Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Sunnyvale Education Foundation supports students at all 10 schools in Sunnyvale School District (SSD):

• Bishop Elementary
• Cherry Chase Elementary
• Columbia Middle
• Cumberland Elementary
• Ellis Elementary
• Fairwood Explorer Elementary
• Lakewood Elementary
• San Miguel Elementary
• Sunnyvale Middle
• Vargas Elementary

Learn more about the schools on the SSD website

Sunnyvale Education Foundation’s primary activity is fundraising to promote equity and benefit students at all ten elementary and middle schools across the Sunnyvale School District. Parent/Teacher groups (PTA, PTSA, PTO or other group) are associated with a single school and work to support and advocate for that school’s community and interests. Where parent/teacher groups primarily fundraise from attending families, SEF fundraises from local corporations, as well as from school parents and the community at large. As a district-wide organization with parent and community representation from every site, SEF is able to see strengths at one site, and help them spread to others.

Sunnyvale Education Foundation is an all-volunteer, community-based charitable nonprofit operating since its incorporation in 2015. SEF is governed by a set of bylaws and policies.

SEF welcomes volunteers from across our community willing to apply their range of talents, skills, and passions to help advance SEF’s mission of an enriched education for every student. Our 21-person board of directors is comprised mostly of current or former Sunnyvale School District parents or people who work in our schools. All board members must be at least 18 years of age. 

The board holds annual elections to select five officers: president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and vice president of communications. SEF reserves 10 director spots for one parent or staff representative from each of the 10 schools in the district, and one director spot for a member of the Sunnyvale School District Board of Education; these individuals are called “school representative” or “district representative,” respectively, and serve as a SEF liaison with their affiliated institution. SEF also reserves a spot on the board for a Grants Administrator who coordinates our annual school grants program. 

The board meets and conducts business 10 times each year. SEF also has five board committees that focus on specific aspects of SEF’s operations, including budget and finance, communications, fundraising, governance and board development, and school programs. Ad hoc (temporary) committees are formed by the board as needed to complete special tasks. For example, a team of volunteers, including board and community members, help plan our annual mixer event held each spring.

Interested in helping SEF out, either as a board member or a volunteer? Please contact the SEF President.

Sunnyvale Education Foundation supports Sunnyvale School District goals and works with individual school site interests. We prioritize support for programs that may not get funding through site, district or school-based parent/teacher group resources alone. Where the district has humanpower to get a job done or a program started, SEF looks to support that with funds and in any other way we are able.

Sunnyvale Education Foundation envisions a school district wherein all children thrive as the entire community helps ensure a sustained, enriched, high-quality education for all students. SEF’s outreach and fundraising efforts benefit every K-8 student, foster equity and consistency among school sites, and promote sustained and effective allocation of resources across the district. SEF seeks and promotes representative voices from across the Sunnyvale School District as it works toward this vision.

SEF does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic or national origin, religion, gender, gender expression, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. SEF is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all its clients, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors.

Since the inception of the Sunnyvale Education Foundation in 2015 through our fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, SEF has granted nearly $650,000 to Sunnyvale School District Schools to fund various projects identified by our school principals and to subsidize the cost of sending 5th graders to science camp. Individual school grants have increased over the years as SEF itself has grown. In 2023-2024 SEF has budgeted more than $150,000 in support for student-centered enrichments in Sunnyvale schools.

SEF supports enrichment programs and resources benefiting the students at all 10 schools of the Sunnyvale School District. SEF helps enable and support enrichment for all students in SSD through ongoing discussions with individual schools, parent groups, and the district, and by fundraising and budgeting allocations for school grants.

We have funded programs and resources at each of the district’s 10 schools through annual grants since the 2015–2016 school year. At the elementary-school level, SEF has supported 5th grade science camp, field trip buses and field trips, after-school enrichment, makerspaces and supplies, art books, microscopes, flexible seating, music and drama, gardens and more. At the middle school level, we have provided support to the music departments, STEM field trips, after-school clubs, gardens, and more. 

In addition, SEF piloted on-site TB testing in the district to support volunteers, hosted roundtable discussions that bring school leaders together to identify challenges and solutions for program success, and brought additional voices to the conversation about each school’s priorities and opportunities.

During the pandemic, SEF supported take-home kits, learning supplies and tools, computers and hotspots, virtual field trips, and online resources for students across the district.

Each of the 10 schools has a designated Sunnyvale Education Foundation school representative who works closely with the principal at the school site to coordinate our school grants. We occasionally reach out to teachers and staff, coordinating with the principals, to find out what funding needs are unmet at the schools through a teacher/staff survey.

SEF funds annual school grants that allow each principal to determine their school’s needs and offer a wide variety of academic and enrichment programs and activities. If you have an idea, please reach out to your school’s principal and SEF board representative.

SEF prioritizes equity and sustainability in its support for enriched educational opportunities at all SSD schools. SEF budgets grant allocations to our schools each year, dependent on fundraising. Program priorities are identified by school leaders and SEF. The SEF board of directors reviews and approves by majority vote SEF’s spending allocations for all school grants within its annual budget.

Before the end of each fiscal year, SEF establishes a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The SEF board, through the budget process, identifies program areas and amounts intended to be spent during the fiscal year.

Everyone is welcome to donate to the Sunnyvale Education Foundation.

Currently, a variety of community members, parents, small businesses, caring individuals, as well as large corporations donate to SEF regularly. 

SEF is proud to partner with corporations with a local connection, such as Bosch, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Sares-Regis. 

Please see our current donors on our website.

Sunnyvale Education Foundation is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit charitable organization eligible for corporate matching.

We accept online donations via the donate page on our website. We also happily accept checks mailed to:

Sunnyvale Education Foundation
819 W. Iowa Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086 

We encourage you to check whether your company has a matching program and submit all donations for the match. It can often mean doubling or even tripling your support.