PROGRAMS

The Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2004 with the completion of its $6 million campaign to create a new endowment for music, art, and information technology programs in the Cupertino Union School District.

Making a Difference Over Two Decades

CEEF was formed in 1984 by a group of visionary community leaders who sought to sustain educational excellence in local classrooms in spite of severe state budget cuts. Unlike other educational foundations formed at that time, CEEF founders looked beyond annual phonathon campaigns to an university endowment model, and in 1989, succeeded in completing a land development project that created CEEF's original $3.5 million endowment.

Thanks to careful oversight and active fundraising, the original CEEF endowment has grown today to $9.1 million. More importantly, thanks to the endowment, the CEEF board has been able to grant over $8 million to the district since inception for teacher training; math, science and literacy programs; visual and performing arts; and educational resources not possible through state funding alone.

Over the years, CEEF has continued to take on extraordinary challenges. CEEF raised over $250,000 from 1995-97 to bring in nationally acclaimed mathematics educators to present math workshops for teachers and help develop hands-on math activities that helped to demystify math for children and adults. Funding also supported family math sessions that enabled parents and children to work together to better understand math concepts, as well as "Math for the Curious" workshops for those students with special interest and talent for math.

Between 1997-2002, CEEF provided $340,000 to support the BASEE science program that enabled district teachers to expand their understanding of science principles and develop intellectual leadership.

Every Child Deserves Music and Art

Perhaps the greatest challenge the CEEF board has accepted to date began in 2000 when they initiated a major fundraising campaign to create a new $6 million endowment to permanently fund music, art, and information resources in all district schools. The new endowment will sustain weekly music classes led by certificated music teachers at all elementary schools, as well as CEEF's Arts Matching Grant Program that has enabled schools to expand visual and performing arts programs and introduce children to the joy of live performances. The fund will also support teacher training and programs to help every child develop fluency in accessing and managing information resources.