|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
When middle school English teacher Gretchen Schwarz runs into her former students in the East Palo Alto community and beyond, some of their favorite memories from her class are of taking local field trips to the beach in Montara to the tide pools in Moss Beach, adventures made possible by microgrants from the East Palo Alto Kids Foundation.
“It’s things like that they remember,” she said. “It was fun because we made it a whole day.”
Schwarz, who has been working in Ravenswood City School District for the past 20 years or so, said EPAK grants, which award $750 to teachers for classroom supplies and activities, make all the difference in funding classroom libraries, technology resources, field trips, software subscriptions and other classroom supplies – and the grants can be spent on nearly anything, allowing teachers to personalize their own classroom experience.
Plus, every new teacher gets a one-time grant of $375, which Schwarz said helps alleviate some of the pressure of setting up a brand-new classroom and is a draw for new and returning teachers to stay in the district.
“It’s literally free money,” Schwarz said, noting the low-risk, fast reimbursement process. “It’s so easy.”
Just this fall semester, the all-volunteer organization awarded 189 regular teacher grants at 67 new teacher grants, for a total of $163,227 awarded to teachers – with more on the way early next year. In the 2023-24 school year, the organization awarded more than $385,000 in grants across 12 schools and 500 projects.
The nonprofit organization, now a staple of the East Palo Alto and Menlo Park school communities, started in 1993 with a clear mission to get cash directly into the hands of teachers, who would otherwise be spending out of pocket for classroom supplies and experiences for their students.
“We wanted to show teachers that they are supported,” said Mary Ruth Leen, a member of the 11-person board.
Students enjoy a walk on the Coastside during a field trip funded by an EPAK grant. Photo by Gretchen Schwarz. 
Posters in English and Spanish at Los Robles McNair Academy, made possible by an EPAK grant. Courtesy East Palo Alto Kids Foundation. 
A EPAC student plays a flute, one of the instruments purchased using an EPAK grant. Courtesy East Palo Alto Kids Foundation. 
Students enjoy a walk on the Coastside during a field trip funded by an EPAK grant. Photo by Gretchen Schwarz.
Leen said the format of the grants is designed to support teachers to fill out their classroom needs year after year. One grant that went to a teacher at Cesar Chavez Middle School funded a new tool, polycarbonate, for assembling robots for the Metal Robotics Team at the school. Another went to posters in both English and Spanish at the Los Robles McNair Academy. And the East Palo Alto Charter School’s music program received instruments to develop its band, which is using them in two performances this year.
“We know teachers know what they need, know what their students need,” Leen said.
Schwarz said EPAK’s approach is trailblazing, and its board, which includes local educators, is keenly aware of the realities of teaching and the needs that arise.
“They’ve really consciously been in the forefront of understanding and helping teachers in this grassroots way, where I think other school districts have caught on,” Schwarz said. “You don’t find that in a lot of school districts.”
EPAK is a past recipient of the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund, earning a $15,000 grant in 2024. More information, including how to contribute, a list of people who’ve already donated and additional stories about the impact of the Holiday Fund at PaloAltoOnline.com/holiday_fund.
Historic Woodside restaurant reopens as flower shop and cafe with Michelin cred chefJanuary 28, 2026 2:46 pm
