Corvallis Public Schools Foundation says it gave $400,000+ in 2025, pledges continued support for summer programs and staff grants

The Corvallis Public Schools Foundation told the Corvallis School Board on March 12 that it distributed more than $400,000 in grants and other financial support to district programs and students in 2025.

"Last year, we gave more than $400,000 in grants and other kinds of financial support to our public schools here in Corvallis," said Rick Wallace, a trustee with the foundation. He and other foundation leaders highlighted three funding priorities: removing student barriers, funding enrichment activities, and supporting academic interventions.

Foundation trustees said about $95,000 of that funding supported classroom enrichment programs and another $95,000 went to help students navigating poverty. The foundation also listed roughly $150,000 contributed to last summer's summer school program and more than $160,000 in passthrough support to individual schools.

"We contributed $95,000 to students navigating poverty," the trustee reported. Foundation leaders described that support as a mix of direct dollars and gift-card donations; they said gift-card donations to local retailers and cash contributions allowed family-support staff flexibility during recent federal SNAP funding uncertainty.

Mark Goheen, the foundation's fundraiser and treasurer, said the organization met and exceeded its annual Hands Across Corvallis goal this year. "We met and exceeded our goal of 128,000 for this year. The last number I saw was 138," he said.

Foundation leaders also described nonfinancial work: convening industry partners, hosting listening sessions with business and educators, and investing in athletic facility improvements, including new field lighting at Crescent Valley and upgrades to Hansen Stadium. They announced a new partnership with the Benton County Schools Credit Union to offer "low-barrier resource grants" to staff who are moving assignments, aimed at easing transitions for educators.

Board members asked operational questions about the foundation's family-support work. When asked whether the resource pantry was still actively soliciting donated goods, the foundation's executive director, Angela Hibbert, said the group had stopped recruiting hard goods when storage or logistic capacity peaked but continues to raise cash so the district's family-support staff can respond flexibly to needs.

The foundation urged continued collaboration with the district as it implements priorities tied to its grant programs, including Imagine and Yay grants that support teacher-led and student-led projects. The foundation and board attendees said they intend to sustain summer offerings and to coordinate more closely as the district adopts new programming under the Corvallis Promise.

The meeting was a joint work session; no votes were taken. The board adjourned at 8:39 p.m.