The Foundation Powering Opportunity in Local Schools
When school budgets tighten, the first things to disappear are often the experiences that define childhood: field trips, performances, hands-on projects, and opportunities to see life beyond the classroom walls.
In South Kitsap, a small but steadily growing nonprofit has quietly spent years filling that gap—funding the “extras” that increasingly feel essential to a well-rounded education.
The South Kitsap Public Education Foundation (SKPEF) is not a large organization with paid staff or a sizable endowment. It is an all-volunteer group of community members, educators, and district leaders committed to keeping opportunities flowing to students and teachers when traditional funding falls short.
“Our informal mission really has been, for several years, to support the district in areas where there’s a lack of funding,” Jay Seaton, board president of the South Kitsap Public Education Foundation, said. “The foundation has really stepped in with a focus on helping those types of activities continue.”
Filling the Gaps
Formally, the foundation’s mission is to “invest in projects to enhance the quality of education in the South Kitsap School District” and to “give students the opportunities to excel in learning and develop, and focus the community’s resources to achieve excellence in education,” Amy Miller, board member and Public Information Officer for South Kitsap School District, said.
In practice, that mission translates into funding the space between what the district can afford and what teachers and students know would make learning more meaningful.
Seaton traces the foundation’s expanding role to the 2008 financial crisis, when enrichment programs and field trips were among the first casualties of budget cuts.
“We all went on field trips without even thinking about it,” he said. “When the money’s gone, that stops. I really enjoy seeing the kids being able to do those things.”
Today, the foundation’s core work centers on classroom grants. Teachers from any of the district’s 17 schools can apply for funding for projects, materials, technology, or experiences that directly benefit students.
“Each year we tend to average about $30,000 per grant request cycle that we give out to classrooms,” Seaton said. “That’s $30,000 in trips, in microscopes, iPads—the things that students are currently using and needing above and beyond.”
The foundation also awards scholarships to graduating seniors and occasionally supports large, one-time projects when major donors step forward—such as a contribution of more than $100,000 that helped renovate the South Kitsap High School theater.
Leadership Grounded in Schools and Community
The foundation’s close alignment with district needs is intentional. Its leadership is deeply rooted in both the school system and the South Kitsap community.
Seaton, who has served as board president for about a decade, raised his three sons in the district and spent 20 years coaching youth sports.
“I’ve been very involved with them and with their teachers,” he said. “I have a passion for youth, and I think the work we do is just very important in helping the youth of the district be able to do the things they’re wanting to do.”
Board member Liz Sebren brings the perspective of a longtime educator. She taught in the South Kitsap School District for 26 years, served four years on the school board, and later joined the foundation.
“I really believe that public education is a foundation for our whole civil society,” Sebren said. “I see a big need for teachers to feel supported by the community, and I think that this foundation is helping to connect the community to the teachers and to the schools.”
“I really connect with what Liz was saying,” Miller said. “Connecting local businesses to our schools, and showing the importance of the success of the school system to the success of local businesses and the future of our community—it’s all tied together.”
For Superintendent Tim Winter, the foundation represents both a practical partner and a visible sign of community commitment.
“I’ve always said the strength of our school district is directly related to the strength of our community, and vice versa,” Winter said. “When you have people who are willing to serve on the foundation to serve kids and give them opportunities, I’m just really proud of the relationship that we have.”
Experiences That Expand Possibility
Ask foundation leaders about impact, and many of the examples center on experiences students might never otherwise have.
Outdoor education is one such area. Funding for elementary outdoor school has disappeared from many district budgets, including South Kitsap’s.
“We were able to help out three of our elementary schools so they can send those kids to their outdoor camp this year,” Sebren said. “That’s really important for community building for the students.”
The arts have also been a major beneficiary. The foundation has helped underwrite trips for South Kitsap High School’s music programs, including the orchestra traveling to Washington, D.C. and California, the marching band visiting Pearl Harbor, and the choir performing at Carnegie Hall.
“Students from Kitsap County, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to do those things otherwise,” Miller said. “I think that really makes for a well-rounded education that students may not have the opportunity to get otherwise.”
Sometimes the impact is quieter but just as meaningful. Miller recalled stories from a California orchestra trip funded in part by the foundation.
“Some of those kids had never been across the Narrows Bridge,” she said. “People who chaperoned the trip said they witnessed firsthand the awe on kids’ faces.”
College and career exploration is another focus. SKPEF has funded field trips that allow students to visit colleges and community colleges.
“We got letters from the students who took part in that,” Sebren said. “Some of them said they hadn’t even considered that college was something they were looking to, or they thought it had to be a four-year college. The community college offers so many different things. It helped them refocus on their future in a different way.”
The foundation also supports students with special needs.
“Some of our grants have gone for special needs students—technology and different things that aren’t funded by the school district,” Sebren said. “It helps enhance their education and their teachers’ ability to reach them and give them quality education.”
Flexible, Focused, and Accountable
One of SKPEF’s greatest strengths is agility.
“Several of those trips we supported, we were approached weeks before the trip was happening for a $10,000 need,” Seaton said. “Our foundation is nimble enough, and our scope is broad enough, that we’re able to make that decision in a hurry and say, yes, we’ll give you $10,000 for this trip last minute.”
That flexibility is balanced by a careful vetting process. With both the superintendent and district PIO on the board, grant requests are reviewed against district priorities, curriculum, and existing funding sources.
“We look into every resource that’s available to these teachers,” Seaton said. “If it’s a grant request that we may not necessarily fund, we’re able to find where that teacher should be going for those funds.”
Grant decisions prioritize student reach, alignment with district focus areas, and long-term value.
“It’s the number of students impacted, making sure it has long-term value,” Miller said. “It’s not just a one off thing. It’s going to fill a specific need for that school’s community.”
Measuring Impact and Raising Awareness
For years, much of the foundation’s work happened quietly.
“Unfortunately, in the past, I don’t think the community has been as aware of the benefits that the foundation offers the district,” Seaton said.
Financially, the foundation’s giving has become consistent. In a recent year, SKPEF awarded about $27,000 in scholarships and contributed roughly $10,500 toward an orchestra trip, according to Sebren.
Fundraising is also gaining traction. Last year, the foundation’s signature event netted just over $58,000.
“Our goal this year is to double that through business sponsorships,” Seaton said. “We’re looking for $50,000 in corporate sponsorships.”
That shift requires reaching beyond small local donors.
“It’s going to be difficult to find a business in Port Orchard that wants to donate $25,000 as the event sponsor,” Seaton said. “We have to look at something a little bit bigger, because small businesses just aren’t going to do the $25,000 level.”
Storytelling, leaders say, will be critical.
“We are a great secret in Kitsap County and Pierce County,” Winter said. “There are amazing things happening in our school district that we’re trying to promote from within, but I think the foundation allows us an opportunity to add another level of promotion and recognition of what’s happening in our schools.”
Looking Ahead
Despite its reach, SKPEF remains entirely volunteer-run.
“We are all volunteers,” Seaton said. “We have never had a paid position on this foundation. So we’re looking at, now, 25 years since the foundation has been around, getting a paid staff member.”
The board is working to expand committees and reach out to alumni.
“One of the goals is to focus on the committees that we need and then bring volunteers in, rather than our board doing most of the footwork,” Sebren said. “We’re also trying to start reaching out to alumni from the South Kitsap School District to get them more involved.”
Long-term, leaders envision building an endowment large enough to sustain annual giving.
Ultimately, the foundation’s leaders see their work as part of a larger effort to build trust and long-term support for public education.
“We want to pass a bond, long term, big vision,” Seaton said. “If we get enough community support and enough people that believe in the district and what the district’s doing and see the value in what we’re providing to the kids, then those levies and bonds are no-brainers.”
“The foundation helps us build trust and build relationships,” Winter said. “That leads us toward what Jay is talking about.”
For a district still navigating limited resources and growing needs, the South Kitsap Public Education Foundation has become a quiet but powerful bridge connecting community support with real opportunities for students, and strengthening South Kitsap’s future in the process.
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