
Who We Are
Redwood City Education Foundation (RCEF) was established in 1983 by concerned parents and community members in response to legislation that drastically reduced critical revenue in the form of property taxes that funded local schools. As a result, RCEF established itself as a voice for the community focused on providing financial support, targeted advocacy, and meaningful engagement to address inequities and help all students thrive.
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This philosophy is still strong today, and in the rapidly-changing landscape of the Redwood City School District (RCSD), the Foundation recognized the need to reemphasize its roots in the community while also preparing the organization to be in the vanguard of mitigating the educational disparities experienced by local, low-income students.
While in the long-term, we still intend to provide services and increase resources for all schools in Redwood City School District. In the short-term, we are intentionally shifting our focus to support schools with large percentages of low-income students who qualify for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch.
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By proactively supporting underserved students, this model improves their ability to meet math and literacy proficiency standards; thereby reducing enrollment in remedial courses and increasing their likelihood of meaningful success in high school and beyond.
Our History

RCEF is formed under the name RESCUE (Redwood City Elementary Schools Citizen's United Effort).
1983
1994

Budget cuts at RCSD eliminate Music enrichment. RCEF fundraises to create Music for Learning pilot programs for 2th to 8th graders.
1997

RESCUE is renamed as Redwood City Education Foundation. Raised $110K to increase Music for Learning to all of the RCSD schools.
2008

RCEF expands to include funding for wellness programs and launches SMART (Science, Math, Art, Reading, Technology) mini grants.
2019

RCEF begins Theory of Change to target inequities in Redwood City School District and actively supports legislature to increase RCSD funding.
2020

RCEF launched the COVID-19 Family Relief Fund raising over $450K to help our RCSD families with essential needs, remote learning materials, and rent.
2021

RCEF created Community School Grants, where schools themselves identify their unique needs and design solutions for RCEF to fund.
2023

RCEF celebrates 40th anniversary by hosting the first RCEF Equity Summit, focusing on how we can evolve to meet the needs of our students.
Board of Directors

Alana Ballon
RCEF President
Wiz

Ann Hynecek
RCEF Secretary
The HELLO Studio
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Katie Cheng
Board Member
Meta

Lilli Milton
Board Member
Homeless Prenatal Program

Ben Packer
Board Member

Jessica Tsang
Vice President of RCEF
Tsang Consulting LLC

Dr. John Baker
Board Member
RCSD Superintendent

Otoniel Escobar
Board Member
Zoox

Pati Ortiz
Board Member
Venture Leadership Collective

Mimi Turner
Board Member
Institute for Corporate Productivity

Michael Bolander
RCEF Treasurer
County of San Mateo

Wei-ting Chen
Board Member
Stanford University

Laura Lind
Board Member
Stanford University

Jessica Osaki
Board Member

Chelsea Vargas
Board Member
WelbeHealth

The Redwood City Education Foundation (RCEF) is excited to announce openings on our Board of Directors. Our team is dedicated to improving the academic performance of underserved students in the Redwood City School District. In particular, we support those schools with the highest proportion of low-income students by funding programs that improve reading and math scores and strengthen student engagement and social-emotional learning.
Members of the RCEF Board of Directors are volunteers who use their personal and professional resources and expertise to:
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Support fundraising campaigns
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Build community relationships
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Connect families and students with community resources
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Guide the organization’s strategic direction
As an organization committed to equity, we are looking for prospective board members who critically examine the public school system and ways to improve it. Being an RCSD parent is not required.
Interested in joining our Board? Email us at info@rcef.org to learn more.
Ready to apply? Fill out the application here.
Our Partners





Annual & Financial Reports
Our Annual Reports contain more information about our organization, programs, and your impact. Please download for details.
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2019 Financial Audit

Let's Connect
To learn more about the Redwood City Education Foundation, please contact us: