FAQs

The Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF) is a nonprofit group that raises money to improve Manhattan Beach public schools. It pays for teachers and other educators whose positions the state of California does not fund or require but our parents and educators consider necessary for a quality education. State funding for education in California is inadequate for many basic programs and insufficient to fund enrichment programs. Our school district receives less than $6,000 a year per student which is well below the national average.

MBEF helps fill the gap between what the state gives us and what it costs to provide a well-rounded, quality education for our children. Without donations to MBEF, many programs that parents value would simply disappear. MBEF currently spends $2.54 million annually to pay for librarians, science enrichment, physical education teachers, computer teachers, music teachers and assistants, educational advisors, college and career counselors, middle and high school elective courses, and many other programs.

Both the Ed Foundation and PTA are critical to the quality of education in our community. Both work together to support the schools. We like to summarize the roles by saying, "MBEF pays for people and PTA pays for things." MBEF and PTA are two pieces of the funding puzzle.

MBEF makes grants to the District that pay the salaries of teachers and other educators whose positions the state of California does not fund or require. These grants are determined by using priorities set by the MBUSD Board of Trustees, with input from administrators, teachers, classified employees, parents and students. As demands on California’s public schools grow, our grants help maintain the high quality of education in Manhattan Beach. Librarians, science specialists, physical education instructors, music instructors, computer instructors, health assistants, college and career counselors, educational advisors, elective courses, and more are funded through MBEF.

School PTAs fund classroom and office supplies, instructional materials, computers and printers, field trips, school beautification, cultural arts and other school-specific needs. PTAs cannot pay salaries. In Manhattan Beach, the PTAs work with MBEF to raise the funds to maintain programs that we believe are crucial for our students. PTA presidents sit on the MBEF board to provide input from each school on MBEF decisions.

As a non-profit foundation, MBEF uses the money it raises to make grants. For the 2007-2008 school year, these grants total $2.54 million and will pay for the following:

Elementary Schools	Middle School	High School
Physical Education Teachers Librarians Technology Specialists (computer teachers) Health Assistants Instructional Assistants in 4th and 5th Grade Instrumental Music Teachers Science Specialists Reading Specialists District Nurse Young at Art (partially funded through MBEF)	Elective Courses Student Advisor Instrumental Music Assistant Choral Music Accompanist Library and Media Specialist Health Assistant Science: New Technology Scholar Quiz Mira Costa Night Young at Art (partially funded by MBEF)	Elective Courses Two College and Career Counselors Librarian AVID (an instructional program for students in the academic middle) Technology Director and Speicalist Drug Prevention/Intervention Counselor Science: Lab Assistant Model UN Conference GRAD Nite contribution

It takes generous donations from parents at all grade levels to maintain the high quality of education we enjoy in Manhattan Beach. Our district is a unified, K-12 school district. We all benefit by having excellent elementary, middle and high schools.

If you are a new donor to MBEF, we ask you to consider starting at the Sponsor level with a gift of $500 or more. If you have given in the past, we ask you to make a gift of the same amount or more. We must raise $2.6 million to preserve and enhance programs. Every gift matters. The donor levels for MBEF are:

Dream Team $25,000 +

Honor Roll $15,000 - $24,999

Leadership $10,000 - $14,999

Benefactor $5,000 - $9,999

Patron $2,500 - $4,999

Super Circle $1,500 - $2,499

Sponsor $500 - $1,499

Donor $250 - $499

Contributor under $250

If the money we raise in our annual appeal fundraising campaign exceeds the cost of our current grants, we will be in a position to make additional grants for the next school year. For the past two years, we have raised enough money to add grants. In 2006, the generosity of our community enabled us to pay for the increase from part-time to full-time PE instruction and add a second full-time college and career counselor at Mira Costa High School. These positions were reduced during the budget crisis in 2003, and reinstating them was a high priority for parents as well as teachers and administrators. Last years annual appeal raised enough money to add $210,000 for science enrichment in response to donors who ranked science education first in a survey of grant-making priorities.

Any new grants MBEF makes depend on the amount of funds raised, the priorities of the community, and the needs of our schools. For over a decade, MBEF has had processes in place to generate, review and approve new grants. These decisions are made by the MBEF board, including PTA Presidents, at public meetings.

MBEF does not write a blank check to the District. Instead, MBEF makes a commitment to fund certain positions and programs, based on recommendations of the Grants committee and a vote of the MBEF board. The District then bills MBEF semi-annually for these actual costs. These grants, and their costs, are detailed in our annual report, mailed to all our donors.

MBEF conducts an annual appeal at the beginning of each school year to raise money for grants to the schools. All money given to the annual appeal goes to the schools, none is spent on foundation operating costs. MBEF also hosts several fund raisers, including a wine auction in June, the third largest event of its kind in Southern California, and a successful golf tournament at the Palos Verdes Country Club in August. The proceeds from these events benefit the MBEF Endowment. MBEF solicits corporate and foundation donations directly through matching gift programs. Short-term interest on MBEF's general fund pays the foundation's low operating costs.

Give generously to MBEF. MBEF now gives $2.54 million per year to maintain the programs parents and educators value but that are not funded by the state. MBEF ask parents, whatever their means, to give what they can to ensure quality education for their children.

Get involved. Contact your school’s PTA president or MBEF representative and offer to help with the annual appeal at your school. Attend an MBEF board meeting (held the second Tuesday of the month) and learn more about our work. Volunteer to help at an event like the wine auction or the golf tournament. If you are a donor, encourage your friends to join you in supporting MBEF.

Yes. The Manhattan Beach Education Foundation is a California non-profit, public benefit, corporation. It is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The federal tax ID number for the foundation (EIN) is 95-3881166. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

There is no MBEF without donors. It may sound trite, but every donor makes a difference, and each gift deserves to be acknowledged. We publicly thank annual appeal donors twice a year, at the conclusion of the annual appeal (the honor roll) and in the MBEF Annual Report. These publications usually report giving by levels. During the campaign, school sites often acknowledge the families who have participated in the annual appeal to encourage others to give. These flyers identify donors, but not the size of their gift.

You can give anonymously to MBEF. There is a box on our donation envelope to indicate this preference, and if you check it, we will honor your request. We like to thank our donors by name because we believe it honors their gift, and establishes them as leaders in the community. Many people new to the district, or to MBEF, give because they are prompted not by us, but by you. Seeing your name on a public acknowledgement tells the people who know and respect you that you have lent your support to our efforts. That usually means more than all the letters we can write.

PTA gains strength by high levels of membership and parent involvement. Needs vary by site so please check with your PTA website to learn the volunteer and financial needs of your school.

Frequently Asked Questions