The Ed. Foundation

Suzanne Hershkowitz, President

In 2001, community advocate Amy Bass assembled a group of volunteers to form an education foundation with the goal of making a difference in the experience of students in the public schools in Port Washington. The following spring, the Port Washington Education Foundation (PWEF) awarded its first round of grants, totaling $20,329, to fund 18 projects ranging from an oral history study at Schreiber to math literacy workshops at the elementary schools. Since then, hundreds of grants have been awarded in all seven schools, at every grade level, in every subject area, totaling well over 2 million dollars. A marketing effort in the spring of 2015 rebranded the PWEF as The Ed. Foundation, with a new name, new logo, and a new look.

The Ed. Foundation’s mission has remained consistent for over 20 years; to support initiatives that are beyond basic educational needs and to enhance and expand educational opportunities for all students. The Foundation actively seeks donations, grants, and government funds and distributes them to selected programs and resources. Every year, teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members alike are invited to submit an application for any program, equipment, or educational enhancement that they would like to be considered for funding. Each application is reviewed by a diverse evaluation committee, and grants are awarded to those programs that most align with our mission.

In the 2022-2023 academic year, the Foundation awarded 40 grants, totaling over $160,000. These grants include funding for robotics, before-school exercise groups, chess clubs, ASL in-residence programming, math support programs, ceramics equipment, sensory spaces, a capella, and tenor choirs, and so much more.

In addition to the annual grant process, targeted donations over the years have helped to support ongoing programs, including The Ed. Foundation Support Center, the recording studio, TV station and WDOT Radio Station at Schreiber High School, NAO Robots, NextGen Manufacturing and Design, College Pioneers, the Blues with Toby Walker, Education Technology and Art Lab, and Innovations in Equity and Systemic Change.