Photo credit Foundation @ FCOE | Students gather at Chukchansi Park for the Career Tech Expo, an event 2,500 high school students attend each y ear to learn about different careers and educational opportunities.

The Foundation @ FCOE is nearing its goal of reaching $1 million for its Endowment for Excellence campaign, with less than $100,000 to go.

The endowment will secure long-term funding for educational programs that oversee over 12,500 students annually across Fresno County’s 31 school districts to promote academic achievement, leadership and career readiness.

The “Raise to $1M” campaign was launched to mark the Foundation’s 15th anniversary and hopes to sustain programs like the Fresno County Science Fair, Academic Decathlon, STEM for Girls Conference, Career Tech Expo and Summer Arts Academy. The programs help strengthen learning opportunities, boost self-esteem and expose students to diverse career paths in academics, arts, athletics and STEM.

MaryEllen Galvan, executive director of the Foundation @ FCOE, highlighted the endowment’s importance for long-term sustainability

“Reaching the $1 million mark will allow us to start drawing significant interest and dividends as soon as next year,” Galvan said. “This will contribute to sustaining programs for the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, ensuring they’re ongoing, as an endowment is forever.”

(Disclosure: Business Journal Editor Gabriel Dillard is a member of the Foundation @ FCOE board of directors)

Unlike annual fundraising, which helps support more immediate needs, endowment funding provides a consistent revenue stream by drawing on investment earnings.

Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Michele Cantwell-Copher noted the importance of the endowment to help bridge the gap in funding.

“The endowment exists to create opportunities we can’t fund with traditional streams,” she said. “It’s about providing above-and-beyond experiences, like national competitions, that make the difference between adequate and extraordinary for our kids.”

Programs that are supported by the Foundation have already had a significant impact in classrooms across the county. Aaron Bryan, the director of arts education, highlighted the importance of arts and its transformative power.

“Every student has a voice, and we can use the arts to help amplify that voice so that they can start to shape their future, not waiting until they’ve graduated,” he said.

Jason Horsman, director of STEM education, emphasized early STEM exposure, particularly for girls, who may often not feel ready to jump into an often boy-dominated area.

“Our STEM for Girls Conference targets fifth- to seventh-grade girls, when research shows they decide on pursuing STEM,” Horsman said. “Foundation support makes events like this possible, showing girls they’re just as eligible for STEM careers, where the top jobs in the Central Valley lie.”

Anthony Ayerza, director of Career Technical Education, highlighted the endowment’s role in hands-on learning and the importance it can have for kids who live in smaller communities.

“This funding allows us to provide consumables and upgrade technology, ensuring students use industry-standard tools,” Ayerza said. “It also helps us target rural schools, exposing students to opportunities in larger cities like Fresno and Clovis.”

The endowment also ensures equitable access to high-quality programs across urban and rural districts, from robotics kits to mobile STEM labs.

“The Endowment for Excellence is working to make sure that a student’s area code or a student’s zip code doesn’t determine their opportunities, but instead helps to ensure that every child has access to programs,” Bryan said.