Fund For Portland Public Schools

THE MISSION OF THE FUND FOR PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS (FUND FOR PPS) IS TO SUPPORT PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE LARGEST DISTRICT IN THE STATE OF OREGON SERVING CLOSE TO 50,000 STUDENTS, BY BUILDING A ROBUST GENEROSITY NETWORK, STEWARDING STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS & PARTNERSHIPS, AND MANAGING THE LOCAL SCHOOL FOUNDATIONS.THE FUND FOR PPS FOCUSES ON BUILDING AND ACCELERATING THE IDENTIFICATION, CULTIVATION, AND STRENGTHENING OF STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE WHO WILL SERVE AS INVESTMENT PARTNERS IN A CITYWIDE MOVEMENT TO CREATE A WORLD-CLASS PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. LOCATED WITHIN MULTNOMAH COUNTY, THE ORGANIZATION'S CORE FUNCTION IS TO CREATE, COORDINATE, AND FACILITATE PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERSHIPS THAT FOSTER EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES AND BENEFITS FOR PPS STUDENTS.THE FUND FOR PPS SERVES ALL THE STUDENTS OF PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS. OF THE 50,000 PPS STUDENTS, THE POPULATIONS INCLUDE: YOUTH WHO ARE HISTORICALLY UNDER-SERVED, STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY FOR FREE/REDUCED

IN MARCH 2020, THE FUND FOR PPS ESTABLISHED THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND TO RESPOND TO THE EMERGING NEEDS OF PPS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES DURING THE WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC THAT PLUNGED PPS INTO UNPRECEDENTED TIMES. CREATING A VEHICLE THROUGH WHICH DONORS COULD GIVE TO SUPPORT THE PPS COMMUNITY, WE WERE ABLE TO RAISE FUNDS AND PROVIDE EMERGENCY RELIEF TO FAMILIES FACING MULTIPLE BARRIERS.BY JUNE 30, 2022, THE FUND FOR PPS DISTRIBUTED $1.1 MILLION IN SUPPORT TO PPS FAMILIES MOST IN NEED AS WELL AS TO PARTNER SUPPORT PROGRAMS. THIS IS A QUICK SNAPSHOT OF HOW WE'VE SERVED: -66% GROCERY & DEBIT GIFT CARDS - PPS SCHOOLS RECEIVED GIFT CARDS BASED ON THEIR PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR FREE MEALS, WITH ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED TO FAMILIES DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC AND RESULTING ECONOMIC HARDSHIP-17% EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE - UTILITY BILL AND CHILDCARE PAYMETNS FOR PPS FAMILIES, AND OTHER EMERGENCY SUPPORT-12% DISTANCE LEARNING - HOTSPOTS, HOME CLASSROOM KITS, AND INDIVIDUALIZED LITERACY TUTORING FOR STUDENTS WHO LACK ACCESS TO DEVICES AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY-5% PARTNER SUPPORT - AWARDS TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS SERVING PPS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES

IN THE CALENDAR YEAR OF 2021, LOCAL SCHOOL FOUNDATIONS BROUGHT IN JUST OVER $2 MILLION DOLLARS, PROVIDING A TOTAL OF $566,000 TO AWARD THROUGH THE PPS PARENT FUND. FOR THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR, 56 SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS WILL RECEIVE GRANTS RANGING FROM $5,000 TO $15,000. THE FUND USES TWO COMBINED CRITERIA TO MAKE AWARDS: TO RECEIVE A GRANT A SCHOOL OR PROGRAM MUST ENROLL 1) AT LEAST 40% STUDENTS IDENTIFIED AS HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED AND 2) AT LEAST 15% STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR FREE MEALS BY DIRECT CERTIFICATION. USING JUST TWO DATA POINTS ENABLES US TO IDENTIFY THE SCHOOLS WITH THE GREATEST NEED FOR AN AWARD AND PROVIDE CLEAR TRANSPARENCY.AWARDED SCHOOLS USE THESE FUNDS TO SUPPORT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE BELOW GRADE LEVEL BENCHMARKS.

WITH A GRANT FROM PGE FOUNDATION, THE FUND FOR PPS WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT THE ONGOING CLIMATE CRISIS RESPONSE IN PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THERE ARE OVER 100 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO TAKE THE CLIMATE JUSTICE ELECTIVE EACH YEAR, AND A CLIMATE JUSTICE YOUTH ADVISORY MEETS REGULARLY AND ADVISES THE DISTRICT ON ISSUES OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THEM AND THEIR FUTURES. STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED IN GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) EMISSIONS CONVERSATIONS, AND DESIGN DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR SCHOOL GROUNDS THAT CAN INCLUDE DEPAVING AND TREE PLANTING. THIS WORK WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND AS THE PPS SCHOOL DISTRICT PASSED THE CLIMATE CRISIS RESPONSE IN MARCH 2022, PAVING THE WAY FOR REDUCING GHG EMISSIONS AND BEING CARBON-NEUTRAL BY 2040.