About NSFA

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Why the National School Foundation Association?

Elementary and secondary school administrators and teachers need or desire more funding to do a more effective job educating children.
Communities across the US are made up of an aging populace, and are demonstrating less interest in continued tax increases to support education.
A projected intergenerational wealth transfer occurring over the next 25-35 years, yielding between 15 and 40 trillion dollars.
$41 billion was donated to education in the US in 2006, the second largest recipient category (behind religion) of philanthropic donations in the US.
Giving USA reports that many major donors who give to education are switching their financial support and focus from college and universities to elementary and secondary schools.
Many schools want to enhance, improve and expand the financial performance of their foundation, but have no consistent realistic resources available for immediate help.
Many schools and school districts want to establish a foundation but don’t have the time, expertise, or finances to set one up. Without a foundation and its presence in the community, donors often overlook the school and its financial needs.
Many schools are beginning to understand what colleges and universities have known for decades, there are many individuals who wish to support education and a foundation is an excellent way to begin to develop this stream of philanthropy.

With these facts in mind, we believe school foundation growth and development is vitally important.

History of the National School Foundation Association

In 2001, Iowa Senator Charles Grassley was the driving force behind the establishment of the National Center for Public and Private School Foundations (NCPPSF) Web site. With financial assistance from a U.S. Department of Education grant, Dr. David Else of the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa oversaw the development and design of the original site.

The National Center encouraged the development and expanded use of public and private K-12 school foundations by providing a national web-based information support system. Since its inception and subsequent partnership with the Iowa Association of School Boards in 2004, the NCPPSF has continued to expand the Web site.

School district employees or community members wishing to start, rejuvenate, or sustain a school foundation discovered a “Foundation Startup Guide”, reviewed school foundation research, learned fundraising strategies, discovered fund management techniques, identified foundations in states across the country, perused a library of literature, and viewed a video library highlighting speakers addressing school foundation issues.

In April of 2005, a merging the Association of Education Foundations and the National Center for Public and Private School Foundations formed the National School Foundation Association (NSFA), with the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) volunteering to oversee its growth and development. Directors of the NSFA developed a new online look, web URL: www.schoolfoundations.org, motto, management services and web enhancements. The mission remains dedicated to encouraging K-12 school and school foundation personnel in the very rewarding and important process of establishing, developing and maintaining school foundations.

In April of 2008, NSFA seated a transition board with the goal of becoming a self-sustaining organization.

4-30-08 Press Release "NSFA Announces New Leadership"