PLATINUM2023

The Cheyenne Schools Foundation

Cheyenne, WY   |  https://cheyenneschoolsfoundation.org

Mission

The mission of the Cheyenne Schools Foundation is to provide enhanced academic, personal, and vocational opportunities for Laramie County School District 1 students which are beyond the capacity of the district's budget. Our public support percentage is 99.9%.

Notes from the nonprofit

The Foundation is a small organization relying solely on a volunteer board to not only make the decisions guiding the organization but to also do the work involved with running the organization. The Foundation has provided over $950,000 in grants to classroom teachers and an additional $286,000 in special projects and funding initiatives.

Ruling year info

1995

Board President

James Yates

Main address

PO Box 484

Cheyenne, WY 82003 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

83-0313084

NTEE code info

Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (B12)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The current economic climate has led to flat funding for school districts despite rising expenses. This leaves innovative and productive projects unfunded. The Foundation is striving to fill some of this funding gap.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Districtwide Literacy Initiative

Purchase eBooks and AudioBooks for all grade levels in our school district. A total of 165 digital audio books and 1,474 eBooks were purchased for a cost was $32,000. This project was featured by the local newspaper and TV station

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

With matching funds from Microsoft, we provided robotics kits to all 29 elementary schools in Laramie County Schools District 1. This will promote STEM learning and used for multiple years.

Population(s) Served
Children
Preteens
Children
Preteens

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of students participating in Foundation sponsor projects.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adolescents, Children, Preteens

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

There was a major drop during the pandemic but numbers are going up again.

Number of teachers participating in Foundation sponsored projects.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adolescents, Children, Preteens

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

There was a decline during the pandemic but the numbers are increasing again.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The goal of the Cheyenne Schools Foundation is to improve the quality of the education received by students attending Laramie County School District 1.

To pursue our goal, the Foundation:
Develops and enhances relationships with current and potential corporate sponsors to ensure ongoing funding for our grant program.
Develops and enhances relationships with all levels of District staff to promote a positive impression of the Foundation, recruit volunteers, and encourage grant applications.
Where possible, leverage our 501(c)3 status to facilitate the flow of corporate funding into educational projects.
Promote open and ongoing communication with District Administration to ensure our grants are aligned with their curriculum and strategic plan.
Work with District personnel to identify areas where Foundation funds can be best used to enhance student learning.

The Foundation can meet its goals due to:
Our dedicated, knowledgeable board of directors
Our close and productive ties to the staff and administration of LCSD1
Our sound financial base and storge community support
Our willingness and ability to adjust our activities as current situations require
Our strong relationships with corporate donors

To date, we have
Placed over $1,000,000 into the schools primarily as classroom grants
Provided funding to enhance the robotics program in all elementary schools in the District
Funded a literacy initiative in support of the District's strategic plan
Provided funded to the Wyoming Department of Education to develop a computer science curriculum.

To help us do more, we are
Simplifying our grant application process to encourage more grant requests
Working with the Administration to identify specific areas the Foundation can help advance the strategic plan
Continuing to build relationships with our community and corporate sponsors

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    The Foundation serves the teachers and through them the students of Laramie County School District 1.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    Over the past couple of years, we have made it easier for teachers to submit grant applications electronically. Although, the process still needs improvement, the changes make it easier to apply and more appealing to younger teachers. In our most recent survey (4/26/2021) we had a 65% response rate with 54% saying they are very likely to apply for another grant and another 38% saying the were likely to apply for another grant.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our board, Our funders,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    The changes have helped teachers perceive the Foundation as more accessible and more progressive.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,

Financials

The Cheyenne Schools Foundation
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

The Cheyenne Schools Foundation

Board of directors
as of 02/24/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

James Yates

First Education Federal Credit Union

Term: 2022 - 2024


Board co-chair

Jon VanOverbeke

Laramie County School District 1

Term: 2022 - 2024

Michelle Aldrich

Wyoming Department of Education

Lori Brennan

Jonah Bank of Wyoming

Mary Quast

Laramie County School District 1

Kristen Siegel

Laramie County School District 1

Margaret Crespo

Laramie County School District 1

Marguerite Herman

Laramie County School District 1

Steven Girt

State of Wyoming

Chris Mickey

Blue Federal Credit Union

Mason Magagna

Laramie County School District 1

Alicia Smith

#1 Properties Real Estate Agency

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/24/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or other sexual orientations in the LGBTQIA+ community
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 04/07/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Policies and processes
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.