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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

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

1997

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

2008

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

2019

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

2020

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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

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

2023

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

Meet the Team

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Sara Alexander

Executive Director

Email   •   Read Bio

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Florence Ortiz

Associate Manager

Email  •  Read Bio

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Nina Luna

Bookkeeper

Board of Directors

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Alana Ballon

RCEF President

Wiz

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Ann Hynecek

RCEF Secretary

The HELLO Studio

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Katie Cheng

Board Member

Meta

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Pati Ortiz

Board Member

Venture Leadership Collective

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Mimi Turner

Board Member

Institute for Corporate Productivity

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Jessica Tsang

Vice President of RCEF

Tsang Consulting LLC

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Dr.  John Baker

Board Member

RCSD Superintendent

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Laura Lind

Board Member

Stanford University

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Rachel Cohen

Board Member

RCSD Parent

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Chelsea Vargas

Board Member

WelbeHealth

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Michael Bolander

RCEF Treasurer

County of San Mateo

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Wei-ting Chen

Board Member

Stanford University

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Lilli Milton

Board Member

Homeless Prenatal Program

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Ben Packer

Board Member

Google

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Christina Zhang

Board Member

Everlane

Join Our Bord

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:

 

  • Support fundraising campaigns

  • Build community relationships

  • Connect families and students with community resources

  • 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

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Annual & Financial Reports

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

Let's Connect

To learn more about the Redwood City Education Foundation, please contact us:

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