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Cheltenham Education Foundation reports larger grant round, expands performing arts and robotics support
Summary
The Cheltenham Education Foundation told the Education Affairs Committee it awarded 26 innovative grants (about 34 staff participants) and increased grant disbursements to roughly $34,000 this year, and announced targeted funding lines for performing arts and robotics.
Pam Hart, president of the Cheltenham Education Foundation, told the Cheltenham School District Education Affairs Committee the foundation expanded its grant and scholarship work and increased recent grant funding.
Hart said staff are eligible to request up to $1,500 through the foundation27s innovative-grant process. "We awarded $34,000," she said, noting that represented an increase from about $23,000 the previous year. The foundation said it awarded 26 grants this round, benefitting approximately 34 staff members across all seven district buildings and reaching roughly 1,600 students based on information provided in applications.
Hart described a decision to set aside dedicated funding for two priorities this year: performing arts and robotics. She said multiple high-school teachers pooled individual $1,500 requests into a roughly $6,000 allocation to support performing-arts production needs, and the foundation allocated about $10,000 from the individual-grant pool to boost robotics programming districtwide.
The foundation also reviewed scholarship work that supports graduating seniors. Hart said the group awarded 31 scholarships from 17 named funds this spring, following 66 applications. She listed a range of awards that include memorial scholarships, honors for first-generation students, and support for students entering technical, vocational, apprenticeship, and associate-degree pathways.
Hart and other foundation leaders described recent fundraising activities that boosted capacity: neighborhood "shopping nights," an inaugural 5K and an annual giving campaign intended to increase recurring support. She said the foundation asks grant recipients for midyear and end-of-year reports to document student impact.
The foundation requested continued board engagement and flagged opportunities to partner with district staff on grant alignment and stewardship. The presentation concluded with committee members thanking the foundation for its volunteer leadership and fundraising support.
The committee recorded no formal vote connected to the foundation presentation. Next procedural steps included follow-up by district staff to explore deeper partnership points and continued promotion of foundation events.
