Q. What is the Lexington Education Foundation?
A. The Lexington Education Foundation (LEF) is an independent, 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to enhancing educational excellence for the children of Lexington Public Schools. The initiatives we fund are outside the school operating budget and range from small class-specific programs to large district-wide projects.

Q. Who runs Lexington Education Foundation?
A. LEF is directed by non-salaried board of community members, with the support of a salaried executive director and administrative assistant. The board is made up of a diverse group of individuals who bring a wide variety of skills and professional expertise to the LEF Board and who are nominated by current board and advisory board members to serve on specific board committees (teams) for terms of two or more years.

Board members serve on one of several working teams: Board Development, Communications, Evaluation and Planning, Events, Finance, Fundraising, Operations, and Programs. This group is led by two Co-Presidents, who serve staggered terms. The vice presidents of the teams serve as the Board’s Executive Committee. LEF is also supported by an Advisory Board of former LEF Board members who provide counsel, institutional history, and specialized expertise.

Q. How is LEF funded?
A. LEF depends primarily on the tax-deductible contributions of Lexington residents, businesses, and others interested in supporting Lexington Public Schools. Funds are raised from an annual appeal, two annual fundraising events, and the STAR (Staff, Teacher, Appreciation and Recognition) program. In addition, significant support is provided through a program of corporate partnerships and sponsorships. The Endowment Fund, which was established in 2001 and reached its goal in 2004, supports the LEF mission in perpetuity.

Q. What is the relationship between LEF and the Lexington Public Schools?
A. While independent of the school department, LEF works closely with Lexington Public Schools to ensure that LEF grants and fellowships not only further LEF’s mission, but also reflect school system goals and are implemented effectively in classrooms.

In addition, the Superintendent of Schools, a School Committee member, and the President of the Lexington Education Association serve the Board in an ex officio capacity.

Q. What are LEF’s grant programs?
A. LEF has three grant programs: Program Grants, School Community Grants, and Summer Fellowships. Most LEF funding goes toward Program Grants, distributed to teachers or administrators for innovative programming and professional development. Community grants are provided to schools for school-wide initiatives, and summer fellowships go to teachers for summer study. Grants fund a range of initiatives, from small classroom-specific programs to large district-wide projects.

Q. How are grants awarded?
A. Grant proposals come directly from Lexington educators. Each grant is awarded based on merit as determined by a rigorous review process to ensure that every program funded is high quality, well planned, and efficient in its use of funds. During the confidential grant review process, a grant review sub-committee of LEF Board and Advisory Board members reviews each grant application extensively and meets several times to discuss each application in depth. LEF evaluates each application to determine whether the proposed grant meets LEF’s stringent funding criteria and is an effective use of its limited funds. Following this competitive and confidential internal grant review, LEF awards grants based on merit and availability of funds.

Q. What kinds of projects does LEF fund?
A. Projects range from small initiatives involving a single teacher in a classroom to major programs touching thousands of students in every grade across the school system. Grants cover all academic areas, as well as technology, art, music, physical education, social competency, and matters affecting student life. While the subject areas in grants awarded vary from year to year based on the applications received, the basic mission remains the same: to enhance educational excellence in Lexington Public Schools.

Some LEF-funded initiatives are eventually integrated into Lexington Public Schools. Examples include Project Days (formerly Horace’s Fridays), Big Backyard, Reading Recovery, SMARTBoards, Family Math, Mathematics Interest Centers, Collins Writing Program, Lexington High School Art Gallery, Middle School Fitness Centers, Project Adventure, Open Circle, the Responsive Classroom, Asian Library Collection, the Estabrook Greenhouse, climbing walls. These are just a few of the programs that were launched by LEF grants and have since been integrated into the regular school curriculum.

Q. How can I support the Foundation?
A. There are various ways to give. You can make a donation to the STAR (Staff, Teacher Appreciation & Recognition) Program in honor of an individual teacher, a team of teachers, or a staff member; you can support the Trivia Bee and Educated Tastes, LEF’s major fundraising events, by attending or donating to the ET auction; and you can direct a gift to the Annual Fund. Businesses can donate through LEF’s Corporate Giving Program, which includes corporate sponsorship opportunities. All donations are tax deductible.

Q. How do I know my donation is used wisely?
A. LEF has a fiduciary responsibility to use donors’ money in compliance with its mission. To that end, LEF has established a rigorous system to ensure that it funds only proposals that meet its grant criteria, show a logical relationship between budget and planning, and have merit. LEF engages in an ongoing dialogue with administrators and teachers to better understand the needs of the system and works with teachers to help them craft their proposals. LEF requires that grant recipients report on the progress of their projects throughout the year, demonstrate how their grants enhance student learning and improve teaching practices, discuss their projects with colleagues with an eye toward replication of successful grants, and submit a final evaluation of the project's original goals.

As a 501(c)(3) corporation, LEF is also subject to the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. LEF is reviewed annually by an independent accounting firm, whose reports are available upon request. LEF does not relieve taxpayer responsibility for funding the schools and does not substitute for or replace lost tax dollars.

Q. How can I be part of LEF?
A. LEF depends on volunteers for all aspects of its operations, including communications, fundraising, event planning, and more. In addition, LEF volunteers often become LEF board members. For more information, call the LEF office at (781) 372-3288, or email info@lexedfoundation.org .

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