A Message from PCEF's CEO Ingrid Whitley

Ingrid and her two-year-old daughter, Harlow, at the Back to School PCSD Employee Event at Canyons

Hello PCSD Educators!

Happy back-to-school time from Park City Education Foundation. We hope you had a rejuvenating summer break and are looking forward to launching another impactful school year ahead. Please know that we are here to support you throughout the year.

Next week, 9/2, marks the start of our annual Build the Foundation campaign, a two-week fundraising initiative during which PCEF invites all Park City School District parents to consider making their annual gift to support our mission, which supports all of you! Thank you in advance for your partnership during this campaign; your voices encouraging parents to give make the most profound impression and inspire the deepest generosity. 

As one way to thank you for all your help, the Lucky Ones Coffee Camper, funded by the Doilney and Louis families, will be making the rounds to each of your schools following the Build the Foundation campaign! See more details below.

We are also pleased to invite all educators to apply for Express Grants as needed throughout the school year. You can ask for up to $2,000 per project this year! Read more below.

And finally, we hope you will consider voting for Running with Ed(ucation) as Park City’s Best Fundraising Event, starting September 1st. PCEF’s RWE has won this “Best of” award 10 times (!), and it helps get the word out about this incredibly fun fundraiser to our broader community. Thanks for considering!

From all of us at PCEF, we wish you a safe and successful school year ahead! Please know that we are here to support you; reach out to us if you need anything, and have a fantastic fall!

With gratitude,

Ingrid

PCEF President & CEO

🍎 PCEF 101 ❤️

PCSD Educators support PCEF.

Our Mission: Fund educator-powered initiatives that inspire all Park City students to successfully reach their academic and lifelong potential.

What PCEF Does for Park City Schools

• Invests $1.5 million+ each year directly into Park City School District classrooms and programs.
• Fills critical funding gaps left by state and federal budgets – Utah ranks last in the nation for per-pupil funding.
• Keeps local gifts local – $173 million of Park City’s education tax dollars leave our community, but 100% of PCEF funds stay here.
• Supports programs that prepare students to be tomorrow’s innovators, contributors, and leaders.

How PCEF Supports Educators and the Classroom

• Funds classroom programs through Classroom Grants as well as Express Grants for unexpected classroom needs throughout the school year.
• Promotes professional development through the bi-annual Ideas for Impact Summit.
• Provides recognition and appreciation by highlighting teacher impact on student success through programs like Coffee Camper Visits and Excellent Educator Awards.
• Supports educator empowerment by emphasizing the importance of teacher-led and inspired initiatives to foster learning. Educators are experts.

☕️ Coffee Camper Visits Schools

September 15th-19th📍

Educators and Staff at the 2024 Coffee Camper Visits

Thanks to the generosity of the Louis and Doilney Families, we will be bringing the Lucky Ones Coffee Camper back to your school in September.

Monday, September 15, 2025

9:00-10:30am – TSES Coffee Camper Visit

Noon-2:00pm – PPES Coffee Camper Visit

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

10:00am-Noon –EHMS Coffee Camper Visit

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

7:30 – 8:30am – JRES Coffee Camper Visit

Thursday, September 18, 2025

7:00-9:00am – MPES Coffee Camper Visit

11:00am-1:00pm – PCHS Coffee Camper Visit

Friday, September 19, 2025

9:30-10:30am – District Office Coffee Camper Visit

👩‍🏫 2025/26 Express Grants Expansion 🧑‍🏫 

We're excited to announce that for the 2025-26 school year, we are expanding the Express Grants program to be responsive to school realignment and other needs. This year's grant program offers one-time funding of up to $2,000 (2x the previous amount) to support immediate or unanticipated needs in your classroom.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on an ongoing basis as long as funds are available, so you can apply when the need arises.

🙏 Build the Foundation is our Annual Parent Appeal Campaign 💰

PCEF's Annual Parent Appeal Campaign is underway! Build the Foundation's goal is raising money to support Park City students, educators, and schools. Every year PCEF supports more than 100 programs by infusing over $1.5 million in funding into your classrooms, thanks to generous donors.

Build the Foundation CliffsNotes:

• PCEF's Annual Parent Appeal invites parents to Build the Foundation by contributing $2 per school day ($360) or join Scholar Circle ($1,000 or more).

• Build the Foundation runs now through September 12th.

• Schools can win PTO/A grant money from The UPS Stores Park City. All schools can win, there is no longer a competition!

------Each school with 40% of parents giving OR raising a total of $40,000

will win a $2,500 UPS Stores Park City Grant.

-----Each school with 70% of parents giving OR raising a total of $50,000 will win a $5,000 UPS Stores Park City Grant.

• For PreK-8th grade, there are pizza and breakfast parties for winning classrooms AND

• PreK-8th grade teachers of winning classrooms get a Park City Mountain lift ticket and an Auntie Em's cookie.

• Any educator can earn $10 Amazon gift cards for PCEF shout outs to parents!

• High school parent donors can win a VIP parking spot for their student (10th-12th grade eligible) or 6 VIP seats to graduation (12th grade eligible) or lunch delivered by Principal Fine (9th grade eligible).

🇺🇸 Park City's 9/11 National Day of Service

Park City, Utah, will hold its 2nd Annual Community Day of Service on September 13, 2025, as part of the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The event, organized by Serve Park City, aims to engage over 1,000 volunteers in more than 30 service projects across the city. 

Want to Know More About PCEF?

Be sure to check out the PCEF website for information, resources, programs, and inspiring stories about the students and educators we support.

Keep up with the latest PCEF news on social media too!