Archive for category: FPPS News

The Foundation for Portland Public Schools is pleased to announce it has received funding to help provide financial stability to vulnerable Portland students and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. A $12,000 Greater Portland COVID-19 Community Relief Fund grant from United Way of Greater Portland (UWGP) will be used to support the Portland Public Schools Families in Crisis Fund.

These funds exist to provide emergency food, housing, utility payments, uncovered medical expenses and other pandemic-related support to Portland Public Schools students and families. “It is nearly impossible for students to focus on academics when there is not enough food, no electricity or heat at home, or housing is unstable,” said Andi Summers, Executive Director of the Foundation for Portland Public Schools. “The Families in Crisis Fund was created to quickly address these types of urgent needs of Portland’s families to provide the stability that students need to engage in school. There have always been families in Portland that have struggled with homelessness or inability to pay bills. However, the needs have grown exponentially in the last four months. We are tremendously grateful for the United Way’s support.”

UWGP volunteers have now made three rounds of rapid funding decisions for a range of organizations on the front lines meeting emergency needs for those affected by the pandemic. “Our schools are responding to the unprecedented needs in the community at this time,” said Liz Cotter Schlax, President and CEO, United Way of Greater Portland. “We are incredibly grateful for the many donors who have contributed to the fund, making it possible for us to quickly and effectively help some of our youngest neighbors who are most impacted by COVID-19.”

About United Way of Greater Portland
For over 90 years, United Way of Greater Portland has served and strengthened Greater Portland by mobilizing the caring power of our community. Today, UWGP is uniting individuals and organizations around the community’s shared vision, Thrive2027, three 10-year goals to improve education, financial stability, and health for every person in Greater Portland. United, with community partners, we build sustainable solutions that achieve long-term results and help our community thrive. We encourage everyone to be part of the change. To give, volunteer, advocate, or learn more, visit unitedwaygp.org.

Like all of you, we have a lot on our minds. We are saddened and angry about the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, as well as the many others who have died before and since. The health, financial, and emotional burdens of the coronavirus make this even more difficult and complex. At the same time, we are grateful for the heightened focus on the deep and persistent racism in our society. It must be recognized and addressed. Here at the Foundation, we are motivated to increase our efforts to support innovation and equity in the Portland Schools.

The Foundation’s work is aligned to the Portland Promise, our school district’s comprehensive plan. The four pillars of that plan are equity, achievement, whole student, and people. We’d like to share a brief story about our impact in each of these four areas.

Achievement – Too many students have struggled to connect with remote learning this spring. Even with the district’s decision to focus the last two weeks of the school year on students who are not on track, the need for additional summer and year round support is larger than ever. FPPS secured a $20,000 grant from Unum, a long time supporter of the Portland Schools, to pay for teachers, ed techs, and home Internet access to expand the extended learning program this summer. We are pursuing additional funding from a range of sources to continue this work in the fall.

Equity – The Foundation manages several funds that directly support school-based programs. The Step Up Award Program at Portland High School is one such fund that directly reduces opportunity gaps for students at PHS. The award is the creation of Ann and Bill Weber, parents of two PHS graduates, to provide funding for students in the Make It Happen! Program to participate in extracurricular activities. The student recipients are multilingual youth who would otherwise have to forego school-year extracurricular opportunities in order to work after school and/or on weekends. This year, Farhia Gedow and Don Dilamini are the recipients of the Step Up Award. The funds they receive will give Farhia and Don the opportunity to engage more fully in their education via clubs, internships, and/or sports, rather than work after school.

Whole Student – This pillar of the Portland Promise includes promoting mental and physical wellness of our students—considering their lives beyond traditional academics. We know that it is not possible to focus on learning if you are hungry. The PPS Food Fund has grown exponentially during the last three months. FPPS has raised almost $40,000 since mid March via donations and grants to address food insecurity for our students and families. In partnership with the Food Fuels Learning Network, this fund has allowed school social workers to deliver culturally appropriate food to families in need, provided tents for PPS Food Services distribution sites, restocked school based food pantries, and more. You have awed us with your generosity in this area. Thank you!

People – Our spring Thank a Teacher campaign raised money for Equity and Innovation Teacher Grants. This FPPS program grants teachers up to $1,000 for equity, innovation, or enrichment in their classrooms. It is aligned with Portland Promise’s focus on supporting and retaining a talented and diverse staff in our schools. Teachers will need the ability to innovate and respond to new needs more than ever this fall. We are planning to distribute $50,000 this year, thanks to your donations, a range of local corporate sponsors, and a $20,000 grant from the Lennox Foundation.

Other News
Benchmark Real Estate is holding their annual Portland Kids Duathlon to benefit FPPS virtually this year. Held between July 26 and August 8, it’s a chance for children of any age to get outside, get exercise, and contribute to FPPS. Please check it out and share with other families!

Join us and Thank a Teacher! We are taking our cancelled annual fundraising event Spring For Teachers online and to the community to show our gratitude, and raise support for our Teacher Grants program.

School staff in Portland (teachers as well as ed techs, librarians, social workers, food services staff, maintenance crews, principals, and others) are going above and beyond in this era of distance learning. Read more →

UPDATE: Spring for Teachers 2020 POSTPONED Like so many other organizations in our community, we are postponing our “Spring for Teachers 2020” fundraiser.  No specific new date has been scheduled at this time. We are taking our direction from the City of Portland and the CDC to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Tickets to […]

Spring for Teachers 2020

Spring for Teachers highlights the classroom innovations and curricular enrichment opportunities made possible by the Foundation for Portland Public Schools Teacher Grants Program.

• What: Spring for Teachers 2020
• When: Tuesday, March 31, 2020. 6:00PM to 8:00PM
• Where: Allagash Brewery, 50 Industrial Way, Portland, ME 04103

The Spring for Teachers event helps us to fund our annual Teacher Grants Program. In the Fall 2019 grant cycle, 75 teacher grants were awarded totaling just over $47,000. This directly impacted the educational experiences of over 5,000 Portland Public School students!

Look for tickets on sale coming soon.