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Foundation reports rising donations and pilots arts partnership in Portland Public Schools
Summary
The Foundation for Portland Public Schools described an arts‑partnership pilot operating in dozens of classrooms, distributed nearly 880 grocery gift cards through the food fund and received a $120,000 anonymous gift to expand the Families in Crisis fund.
The Foundation for Portland Public Schools updated the board on fundraising, arts partnerships and family‑support programs. The foundation said Side by Side and other community partners are piloting arts‑integrated projects in 55 classrooms this year, with named pilots at Ocean Avenue, Lyseth and East End elementary schools and a Casco Bay culminating event in December.
The foundation also reported robust community support for its food fund and Families in Crisis program. Foundation staff said the organization received 706 individual donations totaling about $146,139 (Oct.–Dec.) and that the community contributed 440 individuals, businesses and foundations earlier during a food‑fund emergency; the foundation distributed 880 grocery gift cards and donated $10,000 to the Locker Project to expand school groceries. The foundation announced a recent $120,000 anonymous donation that will increase Families in Crisis monthly capacity from $5,000 to $7,500.
Foundation leadership said arts programming aims to integrate the arts into core instruction, train teaching artists paired with classroom teachers, and scale community partners so every school has access to arts partners in future years.
Board members asked about math integration and the foundation said math tie‑ins are planned for next year; the foundation confirmed some pilot projects already included measurement and dimensional work.
