Coming Up Next
Back to School Night
Thursday, August 8th - TK/Kindergarten
Wednesday, August 21st - Grades 2, 4, 6
Thursday, August 22nd - Grades 1, 3, 5
Wednesday, August 28th - Grades 7/8
Thursday, August 29th - Grades 9-12
The Back To School Night campaign is an annual event where school families receive information about the Foundation and are asked to make a donation.
Bridging The Gap
Left By State Budget Cuts
As we enter a new school year, I want to share encouraging news about the work you made possible in the last school year. The most exciting news is the amount we were able to raise last year to close the gap between what the La Cañada Unified School District receives from the State of California and what we need for our kids to thrive.
Thanks to your generosity, we will be giving $2.5M to the La Cañada Unified School District for their 2024-25 school year, empowering our District to continue its focus on providing academic excellence.
So long, summer… 2024-2025 school year, here we come! It is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to a new school year as President of the La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation (LCFEF).
My first official order of business is to thank you, this tremendous community, for your generosity and support. Your donations to LCFEF last year to the tune of $2.5M (including $500,000 from a record-setting Endowment Fund donation) will power another year of world class education for our students, which will have a lasting, positive impact on their lives. Your contributions will help maintain small class sizes and the district’s robust emotional support system for our kids as well as technology upgrades and the remodeling of libraries at four school sites, among many other things.
I feel compelled to remind you that the state of California does not fund these initiatives, nor do local bond measures. This community’s families, businesses and patrons fund these initiatives. Without your donations, many of the people, places and programs that make our schools among the top in the country would not exist.
Your continued support in the year ahead will be crucial. As you may know, our district faces unprecedented financial challenges this year due to the state budget crisis in California. The district has based its budget forecasting on the likelihood that the already nominal funding we typically receive from the state will be reduced, and even that little funding could be unfunded or deferred indefinitely, which puts school districts like ours in peril.
What can you do to help? Give what you can. Pledge early. Tell your friends. Talk up the LCFEF to your neighbors. Attend our events – whether it’s trivia night in September or the big gala in March, we encourage you to gather with friends to celebrate this amazing community and support a cause that benefits every household in it.
With your support, I am confident we will reach this year’s fundraising goal of $2.5M to sustain all the offerings that distinguish La Cañada from other high-performing school districts. Together we can ensure the district continues to provide an education that is robust, rigorous and individualized to each student’s specific needs.
On behalf of all the dedicated volunteers and hardworking administrative staff at LCFEF, thank you.
Kind regards,
Kate Walters
2024-25 President
La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation (LCFEF)
ABOUT THE ENDOWMENT
The LCFEF Endowment Fund helps keep the schools financially secure during times of financial difficulty.
During the U.S. fiscal crisis of 2008/09, donations to the Educational Foundation dropped at the same time that public school funding from the State of California decreased. To help, the Endowment Fund gifted the maximum allowed by its bylaws and even revised its bylaws to ensure that it could still make a gift, despite the decrease in the Endowment's assets.
During less critical times, the Endowment fund may not make the maximum allowable gift in order to grow its assets and plan for the future.
Our Business Partners in Excellence Sponsors!
Support Our Local Businesses
Nurturing local businesses is essential for the success and sustainability of our schools and community. When you choose to buy goods or services from nearby establishments, you not only help to create job opportunities and strengthen the local economy, but also foster a sense of solidarity and connectedness within the community.
Your support for these businesses plays a vital role in the growth and vibrancy of our neighborhoods.
Please check out our list of businesses that actively support our schools and community, and join us in reciprocating their support by patronizing them.