FAQs
Facts and Questions
What is the Alpine Education Foundation?
Who are we?
Who Governs the Alpine Education Foundation?
What is our mission?
What is the Alpine Education Foundation?
The Alpine Education Foundation (AEF) was established in 2010 in effort to bring parents, staff, community and businesses together to support and aid in the funding of educational programs and opportunities for all of our students. It is a vehicle which can literally generate thousands of dollars for education and students of the Greater Alpine, San Diego area.
Who are we?
The Alpine Education Foundation is a volunteer, non-profit organization representative of parents, staff, and community leaders concerned with maintaining, enhancing and improving the education of the children in our schools.
Who Governs the Alpine Education Foundation?
The Alpine Education Foundation is governed by a board of directors made up of dedicated volunteer citizens. The Superintendent of the Alpine Union School District also sits on the board as an ex-officio board member. This means he advises the board as to the needs of the district to aid in accomplishing the district’s Strategic Plan which is used to mold teacher instruction and student learning. While the advice is much needed, always welcome and always taken into advisement, the Superintendent does not have voting privileges.
Alpine Education Foundation: Helping to Provide an Enriching Education for our Youth!
The mission of the Alpine Education Foundation is to provide financial resources to sustain, improve, and stimulate new educational opportunities for students, teachers and other staff members of the greater Alpine area in order to prepare today’s youth for a future beyond the scope of the School District's regular budget.
The Foundation does not attempt to replace tax support for the schools, rather it aggressively works to supplement, enrich and add to the accomplishments that already distinguish our schools.
The Foundation is committed to preserving the quality of the current educational programs and facilitating enrichment education. It seeks to provide an alternative method of support for our schools through its commitment to raising funds and by using tax-deductible donations to directly benefit and support the schools and our children.
The Foundation seeks to develop new and improve existing relationships with individuals, groups, and businesses by providing a means for them to support school activities and programs for which they have a special interest in through tax-deductable donations.
What is our Goal?
Our goal is not only to provide immediate assistance, but also to build a $1.5 million dollar “Foundation Reserve” over the next fifteen years; the reserve will be a sort of savings plan for our schools to draw upon when they are most in need of it. This is being established to permanently fund programs, projects, and when needed, salaries, that are not funded by the state budget allocation. Therefore, 10% of all unrestricted donations will be placed into a Quasi-Endowment, to be invested or saved to provide income for a long, but unspecified period of time; the governing board has the right to decide at any time to expend the principal of such funds.
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What is our Vision?
Our vision is to make our Alpine Schools as academically competitive and extracurricular rich as feasibly possible at all times.
What is the advantage of donating through the Foundation?
The Alpine Education Foundation is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. We process all donations both monetary and in-kind and then provide tax deductable receipts for our donors. Please check with your tax preparer for further questions about your donation.
What are in-kind donations?
In-kind donations are items other than cash, checks, or money orders. Some examples are supplies that could be used in schools, such as a paper, crayons, and art supplies. Other in-kind donations include computers or computer accessories (almost new), new or gently used musical instruments, play ground equipment, and office equipment. Additionally, if you own a business, you can offer services in conjunction with or in lieu of monetary donations. If you have a question about a possible donation, please contact us.
We are also currently working towards creating an endowment plan which will allow donors to donate stocks, real estate, or a bequest through a will or an exempt trust. Please inquire about our status if this option is of interest to you.
Can I specify how I want my donation to be used?
While our goal is to receive as many unrestricted donations as possible, meaning they can be used in any capacity deemed appropriate in accomplishing the academic and extracurricular goals of the district, we gladly accept donations specified for a specific program, school, or area of interest to you; all pre-designated funds will be used for the program, school or in the manner in which they were intended by the donor. If there are any changes in programs, we will make every effort to notify our donors.
How do I make a donation?
All donors are encouraged to send their charitable donations for the schools through the Alpine Education Foundation. All checks should be written to the Alpine Education Foundation and then mailed to:
Alpine Education Foundation
2710 Alpine Blvd, Ste. 0-101
Alpine, CA 91901
Please download and complete the donation form and send it along with your check or money order donation. Please be sure to fill out all sections completely so your tax deductible receipt can be properly prepared and returned to you. Once your donation is received, it will be processed within 5 – 7 business days. If you chose to have it emailed to you, please be sure to include your current email address.
What is the recommended donation amount?
Since each family’s ability to contribute varies within our District, we welcome and accept all monetary contributions. Our goal is to get at least 30% of our families contributing at whatever level they can afford.
The AEF suggests a contribution of $100.00 a year or $8.33 a month; that is only $0.23 a day. If we received this amount from every family with children attending Alpine Schools, it would allow us to achieve our goals to aid in our children’s educations. While this program is completely voluntary, its success relies on you and the overall level of community support and participation.
Even in economic fluctuations, the Foundation will continue to aggressively seek public and private grants and donations to subsidize these programs.
How does the Foundation work with the Community?
The Foundation solicits both community and corporate support for our schools, special programs, and business/education partnerships to enhance educational opportunities for all of our students. We also seek private and public grants.
How does my company become a business partner with the Foundation?
Business leaders interested in getting involved with the Alpine Education Foundation through a partnership should email the Foundation at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to explore exciting and productive relationships that will benefit your business and our students, teachers and staff. Please include your name, company name, position, phone number and the best time and way to reach you in your email correspondence; a board member will return your email or call you to arrange a meeting time to discuss the endless possibilities.
What are some programs the Foundation sponsor’s?
Although we are newly formed, we have already begun receiving donations and raising funds for programs in our schools, including the well received Mind Institute program and the pending Grossmont Union High School District’s 12th school, the Alpine High School. We are open to sponsoring new programs and are currently seeking new ideas and volunteers.
Please keep in mind that the programs funded will be based on the needs of the District, educational priorities and availability of funding from the AEF and the School District’s General Fund. AEF funds are dependent on the donations provided by the Community, Businesses and Corporations as well as Grants.
Current AEF sponsored endeavors:
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Alpine Union School District Employee Stimulus Booklet
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Business/Education Partnerships
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Fundraising and Public Relations
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Processing monetary and in-kind donations
Aspirations for the future include:
- Character Education
- “You Make a Difference” student and teacher awards
- Peer Leadership Awards
- Anti Bullying Program
- Curriculum Enrichment
- Direct Teacher Grants
- Playground Improvements
How is the money disbursed?
AEF will fund programs annually, to the fullest extent possible based on the level of participation and actual contributions received.
Unrestricted donations collect in the AEF’s general fund until there are enough funds as determined by the board of directors in office at the time to fund programs or other needs they, the School Site Councils (SSC), and the School District deem necessary for each school to provide a quality education and extracurricular activities. The priorities will be discussed and determined by the AEF Board, school administrators and staff. Each of the programs should have been identified as an educational goal in the District’s Strategic Plan.
Restricted donations are those earmarked for a specific program, school, classroom or event. These funds will be held in a separate account until there are either enough funds to fund the desired endeavor or disbursed in increments while the endeavor comes to fruition. These funds may also, at the request of the donor, be processed immediately and disbursed to the intended recipient(s).
