Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation Financial Review

While founded in 1991, Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation reorganized in 2007 in order to expand and provide greater support for programs in the Ann Arbor Public Schools. The reorganization was based upon knowledge that it would take an investment in time and money to achieve wide scale community support. A feasibility study conducted by Marts and Lundy was the basis for the reorganization. This growth has required an investment in staff and infrastructure that is now paying off.

The Foundation has grown steadily since 2007 in contributions, distributions to programs in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, and in public awareness of The Foundation in our community and the state. As a result, we expect current and prospective donors to conduct diligence research on our fiscal health, granting policy, and program impact. We provide this information below to inform donors and community members of our activities. If you have further questions, please contact the office.

Annual Report: Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation FY 2009-2010 Annual Report.
download [PDF]

Financial information: As with most nonprofits, our 990 reports are available through Guidestar.org. As a board and staff we are working at learning more about the nuances of the 990 form . 

Follow this link to review the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation files on Guidestar.

If you are interested in learning more about the new IRS 990 form, we find this link useful.

Grants as a portion of the overall budget: As AAPSEF matures as an organization and grows in contributions, administrative costs will become a smaller percentage of the overall budget.

• Based upon guidelines from Charity Navigator (an independent charity evaluator), the AAPSEF board has resolved the following: At the latest, at the end of our fiscal year 2013 (July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013), AAPSEF program expenses (grants to AAPS, scholarships, fund distributions) should be 65% or higher (higher is better). Charity Navigator reports that 9 out of 10 charities spend at least 65% of their budget on programs.

Granting policy: The Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation makes large grants to the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Internally these are known as Initiatives for Excellence grants. The Initiatives for Excellence committee, composed of Educational Foundation board members and qualified community members, reviews and researches grant applications from the District Superintendent and makes recommendations to the Educational Foundation Board for funding. The guiding principle of Initiatives for Excellence is, "All Students, All Schools". The committee works in conjunction with the Ann Arbor Public Schools to assure that major grants are aligned with the district strategic plan.

Program Impact: The Initiatives for Excellence committee also provides ongoing oversight of funded grants to assure the success of the programs and responsible stewardship of the awarded funds.  Volunteer Program Coordinators (VPC's) are assigned to each Initiative to facilitate communications.

Wendy Correll, Executive Director
ph: 734-994-1969

wcorrell@aapsef.org

Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation
2555 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104

100% of every gift stays in Ann Arbor. Every gift makes a difference.

AAPSEF is an independent 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.
©2008 Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation