Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation Incorporated

1. Advancing Talent and Opportunity Development. Increasing opportunities for all students, respective to academics, athletics, and arts, beyond what has traditionally been referred to as “Gifted and Talented” for high achieving students.

2. Expanding Career and College Readiness. Preparing students for life after graduation.

3. Enriching Early Childhood Education. Focusing on pre-K through Grade 5.

Through AHEF, our donors create and expand opportunities for students to engage and grow their talents with funding for after school activities grants and college credit exams (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and CLEP testing grants) for students who otherwise would not be able to afford to participate or earn these college credits.

Donors fund classroom and school grants to bring innovative ideas and materials to the staff and students.

Donors are helping close the achievement gap by closing the opportunity gap for students across our district by funding opportunities for students to joyfully engage in discovering who they are in and outside of the classroom.

Donors fund district-wide grants that help move the needle for all students where publicly provided dollars stop but the needs of students continue. In this way, AHEF helps bridge the funding gap.

AHEF leverages the experience, skills and perspectives of twenty board members who represent the students, staff, parents, businesses and communities in our district. Of these board members, five are high school students, one from each of our district's five high schools. AHEF believes that intentionally and overtly including student voices on our board is essential to their and our long term success.

With a staff of two and an annual budget of approximately $300,000, our foundation is small but mighty. The executive director and office manager have been with AHEF for more than ten years and leverage relationships within the foundation, district (with staff and students), businesses and communities based on this longevity.

AHEF has a strong, collaborative partnership with the Anoka-Hennepin School District's board, management, teachers and staff. These relationships ensure that resources are well stewarded and that the impact of donor investments on students are celebrated. AHEF benefits from the direct financial support of approximately 950 (20 percent) of district employees. Over time, this support has grown both in the number of employee donors and in the total amount donated each year. Given that our teachers and staff see the immediate needs of our students, it is not surprising that they are core donors.

AHEF also has strong partnerships with numerous area businesses, elected officials, civic organizations, and foundations. We are active members of three area Chambers of Commerce and partner with local governments, and civic clubs like the Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, and American Legion.

AHEF networks with other public school district foundations across the state of Minnesota, is a member of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, and a member of an Anoka County non-profit group that shares best practices, a non-profit community calendar, and works to educate our communities that we as non-profits are more collaborative than competitive. The overarching message is that together we weave a web of support for our students, families, and communities.

Our longer-term goals include deepening and widening our base of support for our students and schools by continuing to cultivate personal, meaningful relationships that are donor and student centric.

By growing our organizational capacity over the past several years, we have grown our ability to serve more students, more deeply. 27,000 directly benefited from our donors' generosity in 2020-21. Our goal though, is for every student to know that they have access to opportunities through AHEF so that no needs go unmet.

We also measure progress by seeding new programs and initiatives that then demonstrate positive impact equity and innovation for students. In several cases, initially grant-funded programs have been adopted by the schools and/or district based on their effectiveness and positive value on student success. For example, this was the case for a grant to provide leadership development opportunities for struggling middle school students in alternative settings and for a district-wide, concert performed by all five district high schools' students and music staff at the Minnesota Orchestra Hall. In these ways, our donors are cultivating equity and innovation for not just our students, but also our staff.

We continue to work to better define our accomplishments and the unmet needs of our students and schools so that continue to strive to meet all student needs.