The Eugene Education Foundation (EEF) is a small but effective force of support for K-12 teachers and students in the 4J school district. And its behind-the-scenes work is more important than ever in a climate of uncertain public school funding.
With offices at the Arts and Technology Academy middle school in West Eugene, EEF, a 4J-affiliated nonprofit, acts as the philanthropic arm of the district, according to its executive director, Laura Brown.
EEF launched in 1993, the same year Measure 5 passed in Oregon. Measure 5 capped property tax rates for schools and other local governments. The measure significantly reduced local funding, shifting those responsibilities to the state. As a result, many districts ran deficits. Today, the school funding crunch continues.
“We started to supplement the things that the school district couldn’t support,” Brown says. “A majority of our fundraising goes toward classroom enrichment grants or teacher grants,” supporting teachers and also classified staff like student aides and special education professionals.
“Education in public schools is more than just tests and textbooks,” she adds.
EFF grants might help purchase school supplies that parents or teachers would otherwise need to buy, for example, or help provide social-emotional learning resources.
At the start of the process, “our teachers and district leaders come to us,” Brown says. They apply, and EEF’s grant-reading committee considers each proposal and makes its decision. Each grant application is “blind,” she adds, meaning approval is not based on the school that will benefit.
After receiving roughly 90 applications in the spring, Brown says EEF will offer about $200,000 worth of public school support in the 2025-26 school year.
The bulk of those funds come from an annual fundraising gala. Corporations and private individuals also donate. In August, the organization held an EEF Trivia Night at Ninkasi to help raise money for school supplies. There are also volunteer opportunities for community members who want to help but can’t financially contribute.
One unique grant request came from high school counselors who identified students in need of clothing. The grant asked for $10,000, Brown says. “We funded it at $5,000, and we’re hoping to find a corporate partner to match our gift so that they can get their full ask.”
If fully funded, she says, that grant will send 100 high school students a $100 gift card for a private shopping day at JCPenney’s.
Of course, EEF can’t support everything, Brown says, citing play structures or certain types of technology that might need district approval. Still, they make a difference wherever they can.
“EEF has always been important to what we do in 4J,” District Superintendent Miriam Miralles Mickelson says. “Even in the best of times, we always want to do more for students,” and “EEF support adds to what other funding resources allow us to do.”
As state funding declines and federal funding is at risk, 4J, like districts across the country, faces budget shortfalls. “Donations to EEF can make a critical difference in schools,” Mickelson says.
Brown says she appreciates “4J’s mindset around their spending focus: Today’s dollars on today’s students. We’re trying to echo that, too, while also looking toward sustainability in our classrooms.”
With EEF, Brown adds, “you can be passionate about art and support us and students and art all in one,” and “you can be passionate about literacy and support education and literacy.”
“We focus on education, but that’s such a broad range,” she says. “That can mean a lot of different things.”
