2023-2024 Annual Report by edmondpsf

WHAT A YEAR!

RUTHIE RIGGS 2023-2024 BOARD PRESIDENT

It’s been an honor to serve as the EPSF Board President this year and have a front row seat to the ongoing commitment and hard work of the staff, board, advisory members, EPS staff and community as we have collectively worked to achieve our mission of “Connecting the community to advance excellence and enrich student opportunities through Edmond Public Schools”.

I’m thrilled to share some highlights of our year:

• Donors Choose Funding reached an all time high of $631,334 put in EPS teacher classrooms.

• Student Ambassador Program was recognized as recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Program Award by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.

• EPSF celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a reception that recognized the founding members and kicked off the 40 for 40 Campaign in an effort to enhance the investment started by the founding members.

• We hosted the EDIEE’s event which showcased the amazing work done throughout EPS and connected community members with educators.

• We endowed a new award, the Excellence in Leadership Award. This rounds out the awards that already include Teacher of the Year, Support Personnel of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

We invite you to join us in supporting EPS, public education and all EPS students by sharing your time, talent and treasure with Edmond Public Schools Foundation! Let’s keep the positive momentum going!

It’s been an honor to serve as the EPSF Board President this year and have a front row seat to the ongoing commitment and hard work of the staff, board, advisory members, EPS staff and community...

STRATEGIC INITIAIVES

This past year we marked the midpoint of our 2021-2026 strategic plan and I am filled with pride and gratitude for what we have accomplished together. Our focus on capacity, long-term sustainability, and collaboration with the community and Edmond Public Schools district has resulted in significant achievements for Edmond Public Schools students.

Reflecting on the past three years, I am particularly proud of how we supported students during the pandemic. We secured resources to ensure that learning continued uninterrupted, providing internet access to 503 students and securing funding to provide tutoring to combat learning loss. We also took this time to shift our focus toward long-term sustainability, creating a strategic plan that resulted in six new endowed awards and scholarships, along with numerous other positive programmatic changes that provided augmented positive impacts for students.

Our strategic transition to DonorsChoose has transformed our grants program, yielding a 4-to-1 return on investment for our donors This year alone, we supported 909 classroom projects leveraging a total of $631,334, ensuring educators have the resources they need to inspire and engage their students. Our stakeholders have indicated that this program is our top financial priority.

Our Student Ambassador Program, identified by stakeholders as our most important time investment, has flourished, winning the statewide Outstanding Program Award from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Our students have shown remarkable leadership and compassion, especially in addressing food pantry needs in our district. All participants in the program report increased knowledge in the three pillars of philanthropy, leadership, and advocacy.

Other highlights over the past three years include collaborating with the community to provide over $635,000 in mental health curriculum and services, eliminating student lunch debt, supporting three schools through the Art in Schools program, advocating for two successful bond issues, and celebrating our 40th anniversary with the EDIEE Awards, a special event that honored educators and mobilized the community, reminding everyone that it takes the entire community to support public education.

Looking ahead, we are excited about Edmond Public Schools launch of the innovative Early College Program and our opportunity to support this program. This initiative will allow students to earn college credits while still in high school, preparing them for success in higher education , the workforce and beyond

As we celebrate these accomplishments, I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support of our community, donors, and partners. Together, we are making a profound impact on the lives of our students and educators, and we look forward to continuing this journey of excellence and innovation.

Thank you for your dedication and partnership Here’s to another year of success and making a difference in the lives of our students

Together, we are making a profound impact on the lives of students and educators, and we look forward to continuing this journey of excellence and innovation for the next 40 years!

MISSION

Connecting the community to advance excellence and enrich student opportunities through Edmond Public Schools.

VISION

The Edmond Public Schools Foundation functions as the leading facilitator of community investment in Edmond Public Schools.

CORE VALUES

Public Education: We believe outstanding public education is the cornerstone of a great community

Collaboration: We believe in collaborating with the community, district staff, students, and our stakeholders

Community Investment: We believe community investment builds stronger schools

Integrity: We believe in upholding the public trust through integrity in all of our work

Innovation and Creativity: We believe in transforming ideas into reality through creative problem solving to meet the needs of our stakeholders.

Celebrating 40 Years of serving students and educators! Celebrating 40 Years of serving students and educators!

PROGRAMS PROGRAMS

STUDENT

AMBASSADOR PROGRAM: The Student Ambassador program builds advocates for public education, cultivates student leaders within the school district, and fosters philanthropic endeavors for meaningful community impact Students from EPS high schools participate in monthly meetings, organize fundraisers, hold food drives, embrace public speaking opportunities, and volunteer in the community.

100%

Recipient of Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence’s 2024 Outstanding Education Foundation Program Award.

Student Ambassador’s reported an increase in knowledge about the 3 program pillars: Leadership, Advocacy, & Philanthropy.

5,027

Student Ambassadors raised money to invest in EPS classrooms, completing 15 DonorsChoose projects focused on mental health and basic needs, resulting in 5,027 student learning experiences!

Led a research and advocacy project focused on food pantry needs for schools in the district. Students worked together to fill food pantries at EPS Title 1 schools and Boulevard Academy.

“I have seen my daughter grow so much through this program. Thank you for creating an environment and culture where my child can thrive and learn. I am so grateful for each of you!”

-Parent of a 2023-2024

Student Ambassador

PROGRAMS PROGRAMS

CLASSROOM SUPPORT PROGRAM:

Edmond Public Schools Foundation adopted the DonorsChoose platform in 2021 for its Classroom Support program to help teachers get the materials they need for their classrooms, reducing the amount teachers spend out of pocket and providing equitable access to support for teachers across the district. EPSF invests in Kickstart grants and works extensively to partner with other donors to bring classroom projects to life!

$631,334

132,378

For EPS classrooms through DonorsChoose projects during the 20232024 school year!

Individual Student Learning Experiences.

4-to-1

4 to 1 return on investment for every dollar donated to the Classroom Support program.

“Thank you for your generous contribution! You have provided us with a creativity opportunity that unlocked a new dimension to our art program. You truly make the difference for us, and we are extremely grateful!”

-Tracy Wilmes, Edmond Public Schools

2024 Teacher of the Year Finalist

PROGRAMS PROGRAMS

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAM: The Edmond Public Schools Foundation works with community members who have a desire to leave a legacy for Edmond Public Schools. This includes endowed educator awards, endowed student scholarships and celebration events to highlight educators There are currently 6 endowed educator awards and 5 endowed scholarships managed byt the EPS Foundation, 6 of these endowed awards were added in the past three years.

$133,942

1 new endowed educator award: Excellence in Leadership.

1 new endowed student scholarship: Ruth Zumwalt Teaching in Science Scholarship.

Given in endowed student and educator awards and hosting honoree events.

The founding board members of EPS Foundation envisioned creating long-term sustainability for Edmond Public Schools

To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we hosted the EDIEE Awards, an event that brought together founding board members, the community and the district in a spirit of collaboration and celebration.

"The Edmond Public Schools Foundation goes above and beyond to support our schools. The amount of time, energy, and funds that they put back into our classrooms is unmatched. This dedication to Edmond Public Schools directly benefits the students we serve."

-Jennifer Van Huss, Edmond Public Schools

2024 Teacher of the Year

PROGRAMS PROGRAMS

COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION: A significant aspect of our mission is to advocate for the needs of Edmond Public Schools and its students. We actively engage the community to help meet these needs by supporting various EPS programs, such as Work-Based Learning, and sharing information at community fairs Our advocacy efforts extend to promoting bond elections and addressing the district's ongoing needs, supporting Edmond Public Schools mission of empowering all students to succeed in a changing society.

$313,801

Supported the 79.8% passage of the EPS bond election through community advocacy efforts.

Actively advocated for district needs and mobilized community support at 52 community events.

Organized community volunteers and student ambassadors to provide 9370 volunteer hours valued at $313,801!*

The Student Ambassador Program actively collaborates with this program by volunteering in the community and advocating for the district's needs This past year, they played a vital role in addressing food insecurity by advocating for and helping to fill food pantries at numerous school sites.

“As a retired EPS employee, I choose to volunteer with the Foundation because of the impact the it makes for students!”

-Jan Harris, Edmond Public Schools Foundation 2024 Volunteer of the Year

*Volunteer value is calculated utilizing Independent Sector

PROGRAMS PROGRAMS

INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS;

Edmond Public Schools Foundation supports innovative programs that impacts students throughout the district Over the past several years, this has included mental health programming, the Art in School program, and Early Birds for students entering school. This year and going forward, the EPS Foundation is focused on the Early College program for under-resourced students in partnership with Edmond Public Schools, the University of Central Oklahoma and the University of Central Oklahoma Foundation.

2,643 55

Edmond Early College Program launched in collaboration with Edmond Public Schools and University of Central Oklahoma.

Lunch debt paid for EPS students throughout the district!

Learning aids and training provided for 55 emerging English language learning students.

“Early college programs are an effective way to increase rates of college-going and college completion, and the return on the investment in these programs is positive for both the student and society at large.”

-Kristina Zeiser American Institutes for Research

PROGRAMS PROGRAMS

3-year Snapshot of 5-year Strategic Goals 3-year Snapshot of 5-year Strategic Goals

$1,413,818 into EPS Classrooms

Classroom Classroom Support Support

300,581 student learning experiences

ROI: 4 to 1 return for every dollar donated to this program

Scholarships Scholarships and and Awards Awards

6 new endowed awards Polices that help create long-term sustainability for supporting Edmond Public Schools

A 40th Year Celebration, bringing the community together with Edmond Public Schools

IInnovative nnovative Programs Programs

Student Student Ambassadors Ambassadors

$635,000formentalhealth,impactingeverystudentandevery school Internetaccessforstudentswithoutandtutoringduringthe pandemic ArtinSchools,EarlyBirds,andeliminatingstudentlunchdebt

129 Student Ambassadors impacted 100% increase in knowledge of leadership, philanthropy and advocacy

3 district-wide projects started by Student Ambassadors Endowed Teacher of the Year Award

Community Community Mobilization Mobilization

Advocated for a “yes” vote or two successful bond issues

Built a network of volunteers to positively impact EPS Hosted and coordinated numerous community events, advocating for EPS

Net Operating Revenue Net Operating Revenue

Endowed Awards & Scholarships

Since 2020, six new awards and/or scholarships have been added focused on the strategic vision of long-term sustainability. including Teacher of the Year, Support Personnel of the Year and Rookie Teacher of the Year

Additional student scholarships and endowed awards are added through donor legacy intent.

Funding Sources

Diversified funding sources are vital for nonprofits, providing stability and resilience in changing economic climates. By leveraging a variety of revenue streams, Edmond Public Schools Foundation can sustain our mission-driven work to impact students

Operating Expenses

Investing in programs, fundraising, and administrative costs allows nonprofits to maximize their impact on students, ensuring that resources are effectively allocated to create meaningful and lasting change in education.

Assets

Edmond Public Schools Foundation holds assets for restricted purposes, ensuring that funds are dedicated to specific programs or initiatives in accordance with donor intentions, ultimately enhancing the organization’s ability to achieve its mission. This includes scholarships, awards and other programmatic contributions