History

The tradition of community support for education in our area dates back over 50 years when forward-thinking community members envisioned the formation of the Rondout Valley Central School District (RVCSD). They realized that the quality of life in a community is directly related to the quality of its educational system. In keeping with that tradition of community support and visionary thinking, and recognizing that current funding methods sometimes fall short of providing all that the community wants for its students, in November 2005 the Rondout Valley Education Foundation (RVEF) was established to support the best possible learning and enrichment opportunities for all of the children in the Rondout Valley Central School District community. It was the first education foundation to form in Ulster County.

What are our Values?

We value the right of all students to unlimited learning opportunities.

What Defines the RVEF?

We support the best possible learning and enrichment opportunities for all of the children in the Rondout Valley Central School District community.

What activities do we fund?

We fund learning opportunities that fall outside the constraints of the district by supporting activities that encompass next century learning, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

What is our business?

We raise, manage, and are trusted with the disbursement of foundation and designated funds that support the mission of the organization.

How do we measure our success?

Our success is measured by name recognition among staff, students, and community, the number of students our grants impact, and financial health of the organization.

What we do:

1. The RVEF partners with school-related groups to collect, manage, and disburse funds for school-related educational activities and projects. See our full list of funds here.
2. We offer grants. Students, teachers and education providers can apply for funding in the form of grants for educational purposes not covered by the regular school budget. We review grant requests, according to protocol, as they are received. See our past awards here.
3. We accept tax deductible donations that can be designated to one or more of the specific educational program, project or group funds; or to the Foundation’s general operating fund.
4. We can apply for alternative funding through educational grant opportunities that are not available for public schools to apply for.

 What the RVEF needs:

1. Active members to increase and diversify their Board of Directors.
2. The services of an experienced Executive Director.

Education Foundations can be very powerful tools for Districts as they strive to maintain a high standard of excellence for the education, well-being, and safety of their students.

The RVEF meetings are open to the public. Our meetings are usually scheduled for the third Thursday of each month from 6:00 – 7:00 via Zoom.  Please email info@rvefoundation.org.