The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations recently awarded the foundation $57,867 in matching funds through the School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program.

The grant will be used to prepare and engage students for life after high school through college and career readiness programs. CTE gives high school students the chance to get a head start on preparing for college and careers and will be measured by the number of students that express interest in participating in the program and/or receive an industry certification. The AICE program gives students the opportunity to receive an international diploma and 100% Bright Futures funding and will be measured by the number of students that complete the first year of the program. The Aviation Club gives students a hands on opportunity to discover the STEM field through Aviation and will be measured by the number of students that show an increased interest in pursuing a career in the STEM field.

Through the collaborative effort of its members, the CFEF successfully advocated for the creation of legislative matching funds in 2000 which has provided a dollar-for-dollar incentive for local education foundations to raise private contributions for eligible projects. Since then, nearly $92 million in combined private and state dollars has been employed for local projects that serve low-performing students and literacy initiatives, encourage STEM and career/technical education, improve teaching quality, and/or increase graduation rates.
The CFEF is the membership organization for Florida’s school district-wide local education foundations. Established in 1987, the CFEF maximizes the individual and collective strength of Florida local education foundations to support local partners and schools in achieving student success. The CFEF now has 65 member foundations with 1,100 business and community leaders serving as volunteer board members. Collectively, they raise nearly $64 million annually to support students, teachers and schools through a variety of programs. The CFEF has facilitated nearly $46 million to local education foundations since 2002 through various private- and public-sector partnerships, including the State of Florida School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program. To learn more about the CFEF, visit www.educationfoundationsfl.org.