By Amanda McGregor
SALEM — An organization that has granted more than $400,000 for school enrichment projects in the last 15 years is looking to breathe new life into its mission in the form of a new name, a new Web site, expanded donations and new initiatives.
The Salem Education Foundation, formerly known as the Foundation for Salem Public Education, will increase individual grants to teachers this year from a cap of $750 to $1,000.
As part of its expanded mission, the foundation is also offering a new collaborative grant that will be awarded to a group of teachers or schools for up to $5,000.
"The collaborative grant is really about getting schools to work together across grade levels or curricula," said Sarah Morrill, president of the Salem Education Foundation. "We often see grant ideas coming from different schools that are very similar, and we just want people to share ideas — and you can also get economies of scale when you spread resources."
The Salem Education Foundation is an all-volunteer organization founded by a group of Salem residents in 1994 who wanted to raise private funds for which teachers and administrators could apply in order to carry out educational projects not funded within the school budget.
Over the years, the foundation has funded a wide range of enrichment programs, from a kindergarten scavenger hunt to acquaint students with their new schools to a project to build underwater robots, to name a few.
All Salem public schools, including Salem Academy Charter School, are eligible to apply for grants.
In 2009, the foundation doled out 65 grants for a total of $37,000, and the group aims to increase its donations 7 percent annually.
"There is so much going on," Morrill said.
On the foundation's new Web site, teachers will now apply online for grants, which are due March 8 for this year's application cycle. There is an ideas section, a teachers blog, general information about the organization and more.
"It's a great new Web site that's user-friendly," said Kendra Malionek, a foundation board member, "and it really is a central place to bring the Salem community together to learn about the great things the foundation is doing, and to give teachers additional resources for ideas and inspiration."
The foundation has also established parent and teacher ambassadors at every school.
"It has really improved communication and understanding," Malionek said.
"If we have extra funds," Morrill said, "we would also like to fund professional development for the School Department and the academy."
Volunteers said they changed the foundation's name to make it succinct.
"We thought we could simplify the name," Malionek said, "so it kind of rolls off your tongue a little bit easier."
The foundation relies on fundraisers, including an annual spring auction set for April 1 at the Hawthorne Hotel, and a raffle called Food for Thought started in 2008, which has generated approximately $37,000 for the organization.
"We're really so appreciative of all the people who come together to really make this happen," Morrill said. "We have a great team of people."
The group is looking to expand its sponsors and volunteer involvement, Morrill said.
"We're sort of looking at our fundraising in a new way," Morrill said. "We want to be a little more creative."
To learn more about the Salem Education Foundation, visit http://salemeducationfoundation.org.
