Who We Are

We are a nonprofit dedicated to bridging resource gaps,
creating opportunities, and empowering students.

Our Mission

We are committed to supporting and enhancing public education in the South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD). Through advocacy, fundraising, and partnerships, we strive to build a stronger foundation for students and educators, fostering success both in and out of the classroom.

Our Values

Students First

We believe in prioritizing initiatives that benefit students. We invest our resources with the goal of advancing students’ engagement, well-being, love for learning, and long-term success.

Equity

We believe all students deserve access to a quality education. We allocate resources with the goal of promoting equitable opportunities for every student to learn and thrive by recognizing structural inequities in our public education system.

Integrity

We believe in the need for trust and transparency. We will be open and honest in our work, share information that we have, and adhere to the highest degree of ethical standards.

Community

We believe in the power of a connected community. We build on local strengths, develop collaborative relationships, channel resources, and work together with our community toward a shared vision.

FUNDING PRIORITIES

We involve the SSFUSD community in developing initiatives that prioritize:

Addressing critical student needs.
Promoting equitable education and access across district schools.
Offering students and educators resources that are strongly linked to long term success, encourage student engagement, and promote a love for learning.
Aligning with the SSFUSD strategic plan and implementation feasibility at school sites.

Our Impact

Please see our latest Annual Report for an update on our latest initiatives and impact.

We work together with the PTA

The South San Francisco Education Foundation and Parent Teacher Association are both essential pieces in the SSFUSD’s funding puzzle, and are necessary to ensure all students have the opportunity to learn and thrive from kindergarten through senior year. School PTA organizations enrich the quality of campus experiences at individual school sites. The SSF Ed Foundation further improves the quality of education programming with district-wide initiatives that impact all students.

We encourage giving to both the SSF Education Foundation and the PTA.

SSF Ed Foundation

SSFEF directs funds toward district-wide initiatives impacting multiple schools, with the aim of distributing funds equitably.
In addition to seeking funding from within the community, SSFEF aims to identify generous outside funding sources (e.g. grants from other organizations, corporations, individual donors, etc.)
SSFEF aims to improve student outcomes by primarily funding programs and staff. SSFEF dollars can fund teacher salaries and increased staff hours.
SSFEF builds community among people and organizations including families, businesses, and other nonprofit organizations throughout the entire SSFUSD community that share the same passion.

PTA

Each school’s PTA typically fundraises, and organizes volunteers, for their individual school sites.
SSFUSD’s PTAs units raise money mainly from within the school community (e.g. appeals to families, restaurant nights, etc.)
PTAs enrich campus life by primarily funding events, materials, and equipment for their school site.
PTAs build community among students, families, teachers, and staff at individual school sites.

To learn more about the PTA in SSFUSD please visit their page on the SSFUSD website.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the SSF Education Foundation and who operates it?

The SSFEF is an independent, tax-exempt nonprofit founded in 2022 by a group of parents and community members who are passionate about improving education in the SSFUSD. Our Board of Directors is made up of SSFUSD community members with backgrounds in nonprofit and equity work, and a strong desire to support education. Our intention is to significantly expand our team to more fully represent the SSFUSD community, and ensure a broad diversity of decision maker voices and points of view. As we progress through our start-up phase, we are collaborating extensively with stakeholders to identify feasible initiatives that will yield the highest benefit possible for all students in SSFUSD. Learn more about what we do in our About section and who we are in the our Team section.

Why is the SSF Ed Foundation needed?

In California, public education may be free, but quality education is not. South San Francisco is one of the only districts in the Bay Area without a supporting education foundation. Other local foundations raise millions of dollars to support their school districts. This leaves our students at a disadvantage when they are attending college and applying for jobs. Parents, schools, community donors, and SSFEF must work together to strengthen our schools. California used to have the best performing schools in the country, but public school quality is now ranked 37th in the US. Public schools in the US depend on state and local funding. Prop 13, which was passed in 1978 to cap the rate and slow the growth of property taxes, effectively cut funding for public schools in California in half. Many communities responded in the 1980’s by creating education foundations but SSF’s education foundation did not continue. We are decades behind compared to other districts.

Why should I donate to both the SSF Education Foundation and my school’s PTA?

The SSF Ed Foundation and Parent Teacher Association are both essential pieces in the South San Francisco Unified School District’s funding puzzle, and are necessary to ensure all students have the opportunity to learn and thrive from kindergarten through senior year. While the PTA focuses on enriching the quality of campus experiences at individual school sites, we aim to improve the quality of education programming with district-wide initiatives that impact all students. We hope that families will generously support both organizations. Learn more about how the SSF Ed Foundation and the PTA complement each other in our SSF Ed Foundation and PTA section.

How are decisions made about what to fund?

We are currently collaborating extensively with stakeholders to identify feasible initiatives that will yield the highest benefit possible for all students in SSFUSD. Along with working closely with the district administration, our board of directors hosts listening sessions with school site leaders, educators, parents, students, and other local foundations. We are also establishing an advisory board of community leaders and education experts to help advise the Board when needed. Learn more about how we decide what to fund in our Funding Priorities section. Our Board votes on how to allocate funds, guided by these priorities. Anyone passionate about education can apply to be part of our board, including teachers and staff, but the majority of the board is required to be parents of students in the school district.

How does the SSF Education Foundation incorporate equity?

One of SSFEF’s four core values is equity. We always center equity in what we do and how we do it. Our intention is to significantly expand our team to more fully represent the SSFUSD community, and ensure a broad diversity of decision maker voices and points of view. In practice, this means that (1) The SSFEF team aims to be reflective of the SSFUSD community, (2) We will gather input from the community before making decisions and feedback from the community after decisions are made, and (3) The programs we fund will seek to address the biggest challenges SSFUSD students face. Depending on a range of factors (such as amount of funding and what we are learning from the community), this means at times we may fund district-wide efforts and at times we may fund targeted efforts.

I’m unhappy with the district/school. Why should I give to the SSF Ed Foundation?

Similar to other public school districts, many of the challenges SSFUSD faces are due to chronic underfunding from the government. Our foundation is focused on raising more funds in order to better support students and give them the education they deserve. Donations to the SSF Ed Foundation can help provide SSFUSD students with opportunities for support and enrichment that would otherwise be missing. Other education foundations in our area use similar donations to fund additional staff hours (aides, counseling, specialists and instructional assistants), enrichment programs (art, music, science, technology), and other initiatives. The foundation’s growing leadership team has expertise in education, nonprofit management, equity, and youth support services. While we seek to work in collaboration with SSFUSD to ensure successful implementation of our programs, we independently gather data on the needs of students in SSFUSD in order to develop recommendations on how your donations will be used to drive impact. If you are unhappy about any part of your child’s education, please communicate with your teacher, principal, superintendent or school board.

Is my donation tax deductible?

Yes, to the full extent allowed by law. The SSFEF is a (EIN 88-1191386) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, and we are currently accepting fully tax-deductible donations. Your donation contributes to the vision of all students receiving the education and resources they need to achieve their highest potential.

Can my company match my donation? Can I donate through a Donor Advised Fund, stock donation, or with Venmo/Paypal?

Yes. Please visit our Donate section to learn about all the ways you can donate.