OUR MISSION IS TO:

Cultivate a Love of Learning across the Community

Our Vision: 

We SUPPORT a community of teachers and students excited to get to work. We BUILD a network of parents and community members to support teachers and students. Together we COLLABORATE to sustain great schools.

How we do this:

Provide funding for projects that further students’ educational experiences in science, mathematics, the arts and humanities.

Support projects that go beyond the scope of those funded by the public schools of Salem.

Work with the larger community to make schools a true community enterprise by promoting and coordinating volunteerism and participation in the schools. Provide funding for projects that further students’ educational experiences in science, mathematics, the arts and humanities.

Our History

Founded in 1994, The Salem Education Foundation (SEF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting community involvement and financial investment in the public schools of Salem, Massachusetts. The Foundation is the only vehicle for private sector investment in public education in Salem and the third most generous Salem-based donor to Salem Public Schools (after READ Trust and Dominion).

SEF is comprised of a fifteen-member board, a dedicated group of volunteers, an Executive Director and the occasional intern.  All members of SEF share a passion for education that advances all children and are incredibly dedicated to finding ways to support public education in Salem.

For the past 25 years SEF has promoted innovation at the classroom level by providing competitively selected micro-grants to teachers awarding over $500K to classroom-focused projects in the areas of sciences, math, the arts and humanities.  These projects went beyond the scope of school department funding and expanded partnerships with Salem’s expansive cultural, civic and commercial organizations. This support for teachers continues today.