RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

RISING
TOTHE
CHALLENGE
Spark* SF Public Schools | Annual Report | 2020-2021


RISING TO THE C
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ALLENGE
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MISSION STATEMENT
Spark* SF Public Schools is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building private financial support and partnerships to support the strategic priorities of the
San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) so that each and every child receives the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century. Spark* leverages philanthropy to pilot new programs, propel promising ideas, and scale high-leverage practices across the district, all in service of driving innovation and achieving equity across San Francisco’s public school system.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
07 VICTORIES FROM THE FRONTLINES
10 FACTS AT-A-GLANCE 12 SPARK* INITIATIVES 16 GOAT 23 FELLOWSHIP
20 PATHWAY TO TEACHING PROGRAM 22 INITIATIVE IMPACT
24 OTHER SUPPORT AREAS
26 COVID RESPONSE FUND
28 DOOR-TO-DOOR MEAL DELIVERY
32 SF UNIFIED ACCESS
38 DONOR FEATURE: SOMELAND FOUNDATION 42 LOOKING AHEAD
44 FINANCIALS
46 SPARK* DONORS
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VICTORIES FROM THE FRONTLINES Dear Friends,
Throughout the pandemic our shared common experience has brought us together. These times have called on our collective resilience like never before and your support has —without a doubt— helped to create a circle of continuous care around San Francisco’s public school students even in the midst of numerous challenges.
More than anything else, we want to say thank you to our donors for being there when our City’s children needed you. The power
of philanthropy during this time cannot be overstated, and at the heart of that is your own generosity, selflessness, and steadfast belief in the importance of public education.
In March 2020, in just a few weeks, SFUSD shifted from a system that delivered services one way for over a century to a system
that was able to provide learning, meals
and — even community — in a completely different way. This amazing feat would not have been possible without the dedicated
leaders, educators, families, and students who persevered through this challenging time, and it certainly would not be possible without you.
In this report, we celebrate victories from
the frontlines of the pandemic, and share
more about how your Spark* investments
have allowed the district to innovate and
develop new ways of working to rise to this
moment. From an innovative door-to-door
meal delivery program to shrinking the digital
divide, the reach and impact of Spark’s
donors has been unmistakable. 7


We also highlight Spark* initiative areas that have continued to thrive, despite the many shifts in learning conditions. SFUSD’s GOAT 23 program has flourished in preparing
the next generation of entrepreneurs by providing a one- of-a-kind opportunity for immigrant students and English language learners. Meanwhile, SFUSD’s Teacher Pathways program is helping to address the severe teacher shortage with creative pipeline programs that are recruiting, training and helping to retain diverse educators.
The pandemic has illuminated the important role our public schools play in society, not only in the lives of children, but in the lives of adults. At Spark*, we look forward to keeping that lesson alive and striving to ensure our schools at SFUSD continue to be what they need to be for students, families, and the community – a place of growth, safety, and connection.
Thank you for being with us during this challenging time, and thank you for your partnership as we continue to rise to the challenge together.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2021-2022
Mark REISBAUM – Chair
Philanthropy Advisor, Reisbaum Consulting
Amy GRAFF - Vice Chair
Senior News Producer, SFGate
Sylvia YEE - Vice Chair
Senior Advisor, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
Meghan WALLACE – Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer, SFUSD
Jared JOINER – Secretary
Senior Manager, Applied Learning Science Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Gentle BLYTHE – President
Deputy Superintendent of Strategic Partnerships and Communications, SFUSD
Diana CAMPOAMOR
Founder, Nuestra America Fund
Kalpana ETTENSON
Senior Director of CEO Communications, Cisco
Iris HU
Strategic Engagement Executive, Salesforce
Sincerely,
Gentle Blythe Spark* President
Mark Reisbaum Spark* Board Chair


Cheryl KING
Senior Vice President, Business Development LM Capital Group
Myong LEIGH
Deputy Superintendent of Policy and Operations, SFUSD
Dr. Vincent MATTHEWS
Superintendent of Schools, SFUSD
Terezia NEMETH
Executive Vice President, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
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FACTS AT-
-GLANCE
graduation rate 88.3%
33% 30%
students 50,566
Total enrollment Oct. 2020
Demographics
African American American Indian Asian Filipinx Latinx Pacific Islander White Multi-Racial Declined to State English Language Learners Special Education
Socioeconomically 10 Disadvantaged
schools 130
6%
<1% 3%
<1%
14%
8% 5%
28% 15%
51%
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African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative (AAALI)
Targeted programs to increase African American achievement and postsecondary success.
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Career Pathways
Opportunities for high school students to explore and access high-wage, high- demand careers in more than a dozen industries while also preparing for postsecondary education.
Educator Pipeline Programs
A portfolio of preparation and retention programs with the goal of recruiting, training, and supporting a diverse pool of teachers and administrators who are prepared to excel in SFUSD classrooms.


SPARK* INITIATIVES
Since Spark* SF Public Schools was founded in 2015, the organization has raised $95 million in support of learning, wellness, innovation, access, creativity, and talent. Spark* directs over half of funds raised toward strategic priorities identified by the superintendent as helping to shift system-wide outcomes aligned with SFUSD’s Vision 2025. These priorities include:
Initiate Wonder
A middle grades redesign initiative that is providing students with access to more elective and acceleration courses, project-based learning, technology integration, and social-emotional learning.
PITCH
A multi-year initiative in 20 elementary and middle schools aimed at closing the achievement gap by cultivating the necessary conditions of a high-quality learning environment.
STEM: Computer Science
Ensuring all students in SFUSD, from PK-12, have access to engaging, culturally relevant, and high-quality STEM instruction.
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TOTAL GRANTS BY INITIATIVE Over 3 Years (FY18-FY21): $18,946,986
AAALI Career Pathways Educator Pipeline Programs Initiate Wonder Support for PITCH Schools STEM: Computer Science
$611,091 $1,232,400 $5,397,850 $3,135,905 $4,387,961 $4,181,779
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THE GOAT 23 FELLOWSHIP
In 2017, thanks to seed funding from the Battery Foundation, SFUSD’s College and Career Readiness Department launched a groundbreaking Career Pathways program for students to deeply explore entrepreneurship.
While more than 3,500 high school students were already participating in robust career pathways programs and receiving real-world exposure to high-demand careers, SFUSD’s programs were not always reaching some of its most vulnerable students - those who are newcomers and English Learners who sometimes do not have the documentation to access paid internships.
The GOAT 23 program (GOAT stands for “Greatest of All Time”), created an opportunity for first-generation and immigrant students to participate in a paid six-month fellowship that would help them build a path toward future employment and career goals, while also receiving extra support to facilitate their English language development. Fast forward four years and the program has already reached nearly 100 high
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school students representing more than a dozen countries and home languages.
Through an intensive afterschool business bootcamp, skill-building workshops, professional mentorship, and summer internships, students leave the program with the skills to think and act entrepreneurially. Students gather data, prototype their ideas, test, iterate, develop business plans, and practice their pitches in front of an audience at Pitch Night.
From temperature-controlled baby bottles to eco-friendly skateboards, a prescription medicine delivery service, and so much more, students have impressed audiences with their start-up endeavors.


At the 2021 Bay Area Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) teen entrepreneurship competition, one GOAT 23 student, Dina Wu, placed second overall for her Weeding Bot idea (a robot that does your landscaping), which qualified her for the national competition and a chance to win the $15,000 grand prize.
“I challenged myself to take initiative and ask questions whenever
I encountered problems when bettering my product,” said Wu.
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“That was out of my comfort zone but it was all worth it because my final business pitch reached beyond my expectations.”
Throughout the program, students
are empowered to think of themselves not only as entrepreneurs, but as innovators, creators, leaders, and decision-makers. That’s what makes the GOAT 23 program so important.
Despite a thriving economy in San Francisco, the reality is that many low-income residents, newcomers, and residents of color continue to face daunting education, earning and wealth gaps.
Look no further than the GOAT fellows themselves, who have experienced challenging circumstances, including trauma from their home country, living in transitional housing, and living in poverty. This program is often a life-changing experience by which students achieve greater access to opportunities.


“I hope students are able to utilize the skills that the program provides in a way that makes them stand out as entrepreneurs,” said Cesy Martinez, GOAT 23 Program Coordinator. “And regardless of whether they go into business, I know they’re walking away with an entrepreneurial mindset that really sets them apart as an asset to our city.”
Each year, as more students and educators
learn about the program and spread the word
to their peers, the program continues to grow. Even during the pandemic when the program shifted to a virtual format, a record number of students applied for one of the 29 fellowship spots available. The program’s popularity has extended its reach beyond San Francisco as well. During the 2020-2021 school year, SFUSD staff led a workshop with Immigrants Rising that
had a nationwide audience of more than 200 guests who wanted to learn more about SFUSD’s best practices and program model, in hopes of launching a version of the program in their
own locales.
“If you want to materialize your dreams and challenge yourself, don’t hesitate to join us,” said Wu, inviting students to participate in the program.
With support from Spark* donors, SFUSD hopes to serve more students and incorporate a second year of the program where students will have the opportunity to take on a more advanced curriculum, continue working on their business proposal or start a new idea, pursue licensure or certification that will help them advance their businesses, and compete for a higher prize at the NFTE competition.
During the 2020-2021 school year:
96% of students said GOAT 23 helped them think outside the box
96% of students said the skills learned in the program are useful for their future career goals
85% said they now understand what it takes to start a business
85% said what they learned in the program will 19 help them in college


“I always had teachers of other cultures – it was rare to encounter teachers who looked like me.”
- Josefina MATUS
Teacher at ER Taylor Elementary School
& Pathway to Teaching Program Participant
PATHWAY
With the support of SFUSD’s Pathway to Teaching program, Josefina Matus, a mom of 11, overcame multiple barriers to fulfilling her dream to become a teacher at SFUSD. For many aspiring teachers, the rigid schedule of credentialing programs and the prohibitive cost of tuition make it insurmountable. Josefina’s resolve, SFUSD’s commitment to developing multiple pathways to credentialing and Spark’s funders, are addressing these barriers.
Recognizing the need to develop a diverse and high-quality teacher pipeline, Spark* SF Public Schools and SFUSD have prioritized raising private support for SFUSD’s Educator Pipeline initiative.
With the support of Salesforce, the Pathway to Teaching program offers aspiring teachers an accessible way to enter the field, providing them with tuition support and an accelerated timeline to gaining a teacher credential.


TO TEACHING PROGRAM
Each year, approximately 60 Pathway to Teaching interns engage in an intensive program of coursework, practice-based summer training and then work as full-time teachers as they complete their credentialing requirements, helping our district address the severe teacher shortage that is evident nationwide.
Overall, Pathway teachers are staying longer —a longitudinal study conducted of school districts across the nation showed that 44% of new teachers usually leave within the first five years of teaching. Ninety three percent (93%) of teachers trained through SFUSD’s Pathway to Teaching program return for a second year of teaching and 85% for a third, and these numbers have increased with every cohort since the beginning of the program.
With a focus on increasing the diversity of SFUSD’s teaching force, 64% of graduates are
teachers of color, compared to 34% of educators statewide.
As a full-time educator now at ER Taylor Elementary School, Ms. Matus is responsible for a full class of students and she eagerly brings not only her training but also her culture and personal lived experience to the classroom. Born in San Francisco and raised in Portola Valley, Ms. Matus has an acute sensitivity to students of color and those from other cultures. Additionally, her experience as a paraeducator in the 1990’s gives her a greater understanding for those with learning disabilities. She loves her job, especially during those times when she can help them gain confidence in their
own abilities.
As school districts across the country strive to attract diverse educators, Ms. Matus and Pathway to Teaching represent part of the solution and the future of education.
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INITIATIVE IMPACT
AAALI
African American students increased the overall percentage of A, B, and C grades in A-G courses by 6%, and increased their grades in Science specific courses by 11% from Spring 2019 to Spring 2021. Successfully passing A-G courses with a grade of C or above is required for admission to the California State University and University of California systems.
CAREER PATHWAYS
The number of high school students participating in a multi- year career pathway program increased by nearly 7% during the 2020-2021 school year, from 3,468 students to 3,702 students based on CTE Enrollment Snapshot data, despite a drop in overall, district enrollment.
EDUCATOR PIPELINE PROGRAMS
With high teacher turnover nationwide, the Pathway to Teaching program works to recruit and support teachers to stay in SFUSD. With 93% of Pathway teachers returning for a second year and 85% for a third, Pathway teacher retention is greater than SFUSD’s average teacher retention (~70%).
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INITIATE WONDER
During the 2020-2021 school year, Roosevelt Middle School (a redesign pilot school) had 96% of African American students enrolled in a computer science class compared to 26% at non- pilot schools, and 95% of African American students enrolled in a health class compared to 6% of African American students at non-pilot schools.
PITCH
In 2018-2019, 10% of African American students at Carver Elementary School were proficient on the Reading Inventory, growing to 18% in 2019-2020 and then 25% during the 2020- 2021 school year. In 2018-2019, 6% of African American students at Everett Middle School were proficient on the Math Milestone Task, growing to 67% in 2020-2021.
STEM: COMPUTER SCIENCE
While enrollment in high school computer science courses has remained stable during the past three years (~26%), African American students in the Class of 2021 enrolled in computer science courses at a higher rate than prior cohorts, 17% for the Class of 2021 vs. 10% for the Class of 2019.
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OTHER SUPPORT AREAS
In addition to the Superintendent’s priorities listed above, Spark* investments are directed towards other high-leverage areas across the district to support programs aimed at increasing student achievement, improving health and wellness, providing direct support for schools, and other special initiatives.
TOTAL GRANTS TO OTHER SUPPORT AREAS Over 3 Years (FY18-FY21): $16,922,569
Central Services Digital Learning Early Education
Graduations for All Health & Wellness Innovation Lab (iLab) Student Nutrition Postsecondary Success Professional Learning & Development Research & Evaluation School Site Support Special Education Student Scholarships Summer Programs
$385,000 $898,671 $1,210,000 $250,000 $1,559,750 $1,399,174 $1,015,112 $970,000 $1,809,211 $506,474 $6,044,710 $105,000 $144,466 $625,000
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COVID-19 RESPONSE FUND
When COVID-19 forced school buildings to close in March 2020, SFUSD had to pivot quickly and urgently, rethinking the delivery of instruction, meals, and other student support without a roadmap to guide the way. Thanks to the generosity and immediacy of Spark* donors, the district implemented responsive programs to help mitigate the challenges caused by the pandemic.
HIGHLIGHTS | March 16, 2020 to June 30, 2021
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Spark* raised more than $5.4 million to support the COVID-19 Response Fund
and an additional $11.5 million for its SF Unified Access campaign.
Spark* helped the district
bridge the digital divide and made deeper learning possible by providing devices and wireless access to tens of thousands of students and teachers. 48,435 devices (laptops and hotspots) were distributed.
Spark* assisted the district in launching Grab and Go meal distribution centers around the city and a Door-to-
Door meal program where freshly prepared meals were delivered directly to students’ homes. In total, more than 7.3 million nutritious meals were served.
EMERGENCY INITIATIVES


VIEW THE FULL COVID-19 RESPONSE FUND IMPACT REPORT HERE
Spark* helped to fund
an original television program for preschool and early elementary children. Nearly 200 episodes of “SF Loves Learning ” were produced and aired daily on TV, drawing young audiences from across the Bay Area.
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EMERGENCY INITIATIVES


DOOR-TO-DOOR MEAL DELIVERY
Two days after school buildings closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simone Saldanha of the SFUSD Student Nutrition Services (SNS) department received a phone call that became the launch point for a trailblazing meal delivery program.
“Hey Simone, I was wondering if you wanted to noodle out a problem,” said Executive Director Jennifer LeBarre. “Let’s figure out if we can find a solution to deliver meals
to our families with disabled children. Essentially, it’s families who may not be able to leave the house because of their child’s disability and we would like to get food to them.” Saldanha and her team accepted the challenge.
At the time of the phone call, SFUSD’s SNS,
the largest food service provider in the City of
San Francisco, had already pivoted from serving 37,000 meals per day at school cafeterias to launching a city-wide Grab and Go meal service within the course of just a few days. At the Grab and Go meal sites, students and their families could safely pick up a week’s worth of free meals to take home while schools were closed.
Two weeks later, after a multi-departmental planning effort, family outreach led by SFUSD’s Special Education staff, and rapid mobilization and flexibility on the part of SFUSD’s dining staff, the innovative Door-to-Door meal delivery service was launched.
Dining staff prepared boxes with five days worth of food - much of which was made fresh by the
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district’s chef Joshua Davidson and his culinary team, and supplemented with shelf-stable items as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. SFUSD employees volunteered to deliver the food boxes directly to students’ homes, following routes that were carefully mapped out by the district’s Transportation team.
By the end of July 2021, SNS had delivered nearly 15,000 meal boxes containing
more than 220,000 meals for high-
need students, including students with disabilities and their siblings, students with severe food allergies, and geographically isolated students.
Even before the pandemic, the growing rate of income inequality and the high cost of living made it harder than ever for families to make ends meet. With widespread unemployment and food insecurity more than tripling in San Francisco
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during the pandemic, the need for school meals became more pronounced than ever. SFUSD stepped up in this moment of crisis for many families, and the gratitude from the community was palpable.
“One of the biggest challenges for us was to adjust to remote learning and working
at the same time,” said Sophie Chiang, parent of SFUSD elementary student, Maya. “Preparing food that’s nutritious for our
kid can be challenging for our schedule, especially because she has a lot of allergies. The meal deliveries were very helpful and exceeded my expectations by a lot.”
While it was a huge lift for SFUSD to launch the program, the program did not happen in isolation. Years of public and private investment into SNS for facilities improvements, new equipment, and
EMERGENCY INITIATIVES


multiple program innovations paved the way for the meal delivery and other rapid pandemic response programs to flourish. The district’s state-of-the-art central kitchen, McAteer Culinary Center, where all the food in the meal boxes were cooked from scratch, had just opened five months prior to school shutdowns.
The Door-to-Door meal delivery service
was originally intended to be a short-term, emergency program during the pandemic,
but the program has continued to evolve as circumstances and the environment have changed around it. As volunteer staff returned to their regular duties and school buildings reopened to in-person learning, SNS shifted to a partnership with Revolution Foods to fill the boxes and Food Connect to deliver meals to medically fragile students who enrolled in SFUSD’s online learning program.
“I hope the legacy of the meal delivery program is that families feel confident
in having their children eat school meals because they have trust in SFUSD’s Student Nutrition Services to provide a good meal and dining experience,” said Saldanha. “We see you, we hear you, and we will continue to be here for you.”
WATCH A BEHIND- THE-SCENES VIDEO OF McATEER CULINARY CENTER
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SF UNIFIED ACCESS
Over half of SFUSD students live at or below poverty. In March 2020 thousands were without access to either a laptop or WiFi, putting them at a severe disadvantage when pandemic school closures began.
In addition, the shift to distance learning exposed and exacerbated other inequities: families and students needed tech support to be able to use devices; teachers needed to be trained to provide online instruction; English Learners needed remote language support and the district needed systems and tools to track and distribute technologies to thousands
of people.
The Someland Foundation, Spark* SF Public Schools and SFUSD recognized this challenge as an opportunity to narrow a tech access gap that has existed for decades.
We launched the SF Unified Access initiative to raise $25 million in private funding by 2023. We hope to not only meet the immediate need but to provide a sustainable solution to eliminating the digital divide for SF public school students.
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EMERGENCY INITIATIVES


“I live in a household where a lot of people are going to school at the same time, and that meant that sometimes WiFi would just not be on our side. But being able to get the hotspot and my little siblings being able to get the laptop has definitely helped out my family because before the pandemic we only had one computer for all of us.”
– Kathya CORREA ALMANZA June Jordan School for Equity Class of 2021


“People from all parts of the city came to donate from individuals to large philanthropists. It showed, in a city like San Francisco, how important community is and how we can come together in a crisis to support our public school system.” – Iris HU, Spark* Board Member
HIGHLIGHTS | March 16, 2020 to June 30, 2021
Spark* raised $11.5 million for the SF Unified Access initiative and has enabled the district to distribute 48,435 devices (laptops and hotspots) to students.
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100% of those students who requested a laptop received one.
Remote learning reached 93.5% of students in the average instructional day during the
20-21 school year, an increase of 20 percentage points compared to the previous year.
With an in-kind donation from Zendesk, SFUSD launched the Student and Family Resource Link,
a helpline to meet
all families’ needs throughout distance learning, from food services to tech access and support.
EMERGENCY INITIATIVES


SFUSD implemented a Personalized Learning Environments program to train more than 500 teachers in using technology to transform learning for our historically marginalized students.
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2021 Spark* Scholarship WINNERS


CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2021
SUPERINTENDENT’S 21ST CENTURY AWARDS
Made possible by Google and Niantic Labs
Jackson DENG
Thurgood Marshall High School
Romaissa KHALDI
Galileo Academy of Science
Lana NGUYEN
George Washington High School
Caleb PARKER
Mission High School
Irina TAMAYO
John O’Connell High School
Kayvan ZAHIRI
Balboa High School
ALEXANDRIA REAL ESTATE STEM SCHOLARS
Ahlaya MARTIN
Gateway High School
Dejohn THOMPSON
Gateway High School
Gabriella QUACH
Lowell High School
“I have had a number of people pushing me towards greatness... I have a road map to college that I follow in order to be successful.”
- Caleb PARKER Mission High School Class of 2021


DONOR SPOTLIGHT:
SOMELAND FOUNDATION
“Equitable access to education
is essential to eliminating the achievement gap for our students. The Someland Foundation is helping to put this within
our reach.”
– Dr. Vincent MATTHEWS SFUSD Superintendent
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Since 2015, the Someland Foundation and its founders, Sara and Evan Williams, have invested millions in SFUSD to help transform and make a lasting and systemic impact on San Francisco’s public education system.
Equity and innovation are always at the center of the Foundation’s giving to better support 21st century learning for each and every student.
With over 50% of students at SFUSD accessing free and reduced lunch and understanding that healthy nutrition is critical to support learning, the Foundation first partnered with SFUSD’s Student Nutrition Services (SNS) through the
Future Dining Experience initiative to rethink and redesign the school food system.
As Jennifer LeBarre, Executive Director
of SFUSD’s Student Nutrition Services noted, “the reimbursements we receive from the State & Federal governments are not sufficient to create and maintain the type
of meal program that our students deserve. We need the additional private funding we receive from partners like the Someland Foundation to allow us to close the gap
to fulfill our vision of a student centered,
equitable, and financially stable school food eco-system that provides dignified meal experiences and engages all students in eating fresh, healthy food.”
The partnership has transformed SFUSD’s school meal program over the last 7 years, developing the business models and systems necessary to transform the food operations of the district from a one that relies heavily on processed, government goods, to a “from scratch” cooking model that will excite and engage students.
Today, the district has some of the highest nutrition standards in the country and has taken many steps to ensure every student has access to a high quality, delicious meal.
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At the same time, dining areas have been redesigned to be more enticing and accessible for students. With the Foundation’s support,
62 school cafeterias have been redesigned, increasing access points for school meals, and updating outdated service lines. As a result, 34,761 students (65.7%), now have updated student-centered dining spaces, including 73.2% of African American students and 72% of students eligible for free and reduced lunch
in SFUSD.
By integrating student engagement in the redesign process through the establishment of the School Food Advisory, Student Nutrition Services is increasing satisfaction and overall participation in the school meal program. Technologies and systems are being deployed and upgraded to improve students’ dining experience and menu items are more in line with student preferences due to continuous outreach and dialogue.
The Foundation has also become more expansively engaged in the district’s mission over the years through its support in 2018 for the Superintendent’s Innovation Fellowship Awards at SFUSD’s iLab. The awards are designed to
advance the district’s broader commitment
to develop SFUSD into an innovative PK-12 education system. The Fellowship enables cohorts of schools to facilitate a student- centered design process with students and teachers to re-imagine and create the classroom physical environment to support 21st century instruction so that each and every student,
in particular those historically least reached, develop the skills of SFUSD’s Graduate Profile.
AT MISSION HIGH for example, the design challenge was how to redesign a large classroom to facilitate intellectual and community difference, specifically across African American and Latinx students. Four distinct learning zones emerged through the process:
1. MAKER SPACE where students can sit on
metal stools and work on butcher block tables with all of the necessary creative supplies in a large cabinet near them. This zone is where students work on posters, hand-made books, and other student projects.
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2
3
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LOUNGE with a variety of different comfortable seating with assorted lamps and faux plants that make it an inviting and inspiring place to work individually and together.
2. BOOTHS that encourage small group huddles
and collaborative work in a cafe-feeling area.
3. CENTRAL INSTRUCTIONAL SPACE that
consists of comfortable chairs that move slightly with a student’s body as well as tables that flip up and can easily be moved into different configurations. The primary configuration in this zone is tables and chairs in a “U” shape that promotes a professional, college-like socratic seminar discussion format.
To date, 41 classrooms have been or are in the process of being redesigned to support all students in achieving the skills of SFUSD’s Graduate Profile.
In true partnership, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, the Someland
Foundation stepped in and became one of the first donors to Spark’s COVID-19 Response Fund, which helped provide and distribute over 4 million free meals to students and their families.
When all instruction went online when school buildings closed due to the pandemic, it laid bare the tremendous inequity in access to technology, especially for students furthest from opportunity. To combat this and lay the foundation for a sustainable solution to tech inequity, in June 2020, the Williams’ and Someland Foundation invested $10 million to establish a two-year initiative, SF Unified Access, to eliminate the digital divide at SFUSD. Since then, the district has distributed over 48,000 laptops and WiFi hotspots as well as the professional development and tech support for teachers to be able to make the most of technology for deeper learning.
Together, with the Someland Foundation, we are imagining and creating a future for our public school students. Their investments have resulted in innovative practices that reduce barriers and increase access to learning for SFUSD’s students to thrive in the 21st century.
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LOOKING AHEAD
Expanded Mental Health Services for Middle School Students
With the support of an anonymous donor, Spark* SF Public Schools and the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) facilitated an investment of over $15 million to expand mental health services for SFUSD middle school students over the next four years.
The DCYF-SFUSD Middle School Beacon Centers Mental Health Initiative will provide culturally-relevant mental health and wellness services for thousands of middle school students through comprehensive health education and direct clinical services. More than half of all mental health challenges manifest before the age of 14 and reaching vulnerable children and their families through school-linked supports provides a viable and scalable way to address mental health challenges early.
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“This investment will enable more access to timely mental health and wellness support for thousands of young people. It is truly one of the best gifts anyone could give our students during this time of unprecedented challenges,” said SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews.
The initiative is designed to support the implementation of SFUSD’s Comprehensive Community Schools Framework utilizing the Beacon Model. Each Beacon Center is operated on-campus by a nonprofit agency that works closely with their school’s leadership to provide targeted and time-sensitive services that address the unique needs of the school community.


Starting with three schools in the fall of 2021 and gradually expanding, the Initiative will eventually serve students in 13 middle schools and three K-8 schools with existing Beacon Centers.
SFUSD has long been a leader in implementing systems to support the emotional and physical well-being of students, including implementing restorative and trauma-informed practices. The new middle school mental health initiative is one of the first school-based programs for adolescent health and wellness of its kind, and will also expand on San Francisco’s Wellness Initiative, a program that is currently integrated at 19 high school campuses.
Wellness Centers provide safe, confidential settings where youth can access health experts and gain the skills they need to cope with complex issues such as stress, trauma, suicidal ideations, bullying, depression, self-esteem, drug and alcohol use, sexual health, and relationships. Students learn positive, lifelong habits that contribute to their well-being and success, and ultimately, to the health of the communities in which they live.


FINANCIALS July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021
0.1%
Revenue & Support
Grants
Donations
Interest
In-kind Contributions
Total Revenue
Expenses
Grants Distributions Management & General Fundraising
Total Expenses
Change in Net Assets
$9,597,890
1% 2%
$26,883,805 $286,627 $29,129 $557,090
$27,756,651
96.9%
1.6%
1.8%
$17,542,299 $282,857 $333,605
$18,158,761
96.6%
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Net Assets, Beginning of the Year
$2,084,323
Net Assets, End of the Year
$11,682,213


“We cannot imagine what this last year would have been like without you. We were at a distance and you helped to shrink that distance. Your role of assisting us and supporting us during this pandemic cannot be overstated. And the biggest thing I can say is
THANK YOU.”
– Dr. Vincent MATTHEWS, SFUSD Superintendent
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DONORS July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021
$5M+
Salesforce
Someland Foundation Sara and Evan Williams
$1M+
Anonymous
Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund Michiko Okazaki Trust
$100K+
Anonymous
The Battery Foundation
Walter and Elise Haas Fund Hellman Foundation
Chris Larsen Fund
No Kid Hungry
Nicholas and Susan Pritzker
San Francisco Foundation
Silver Giving Foundation
Stupski Foundation
This Is Kari & Philip’s Foundation
46
$10K+
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
Jo Anne Ambrosino
Susan Boeing Charitable Fund Lisa Brown and Daniel Handler CalRTA
Crescent Porter Hale Foundation eBay Foundation
Fisher Family
Catherine Foo
Fremont Bank
Golden State Warriors Community
Foundation
Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund Mick and Sabrina Hellman Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation Jewish Community Federation &
Endowment Fund
Marin Community Foundation OnePurpose School
Katherine Orr
The David and Lucile Packard
Foundation Pinterest
John Pritzker Family Fund
Lisa Stone Pritzker Family Fund Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Christopher John Rupright and
Pamela G.H. Rupright Laura and Greg Spivy
Stocker Foundation Morris Stulsaft Foundation TMASF Connects
$1K+
Anonymous (2)
Lucy Almers and Sean Rhea Bradley Andrews
Allison Arieff
Diane B. Wilsey
BDE Architecture
David Becker
Stern Benoit Family Foundation Susan Biancani
Sylvia Brownrigg
Ipek and Christopher Burnett Pamela Buttery
Sarah M. Calvillo
Diana Campoamor
Canary Marketing
Capital Group Companies Global Pete Caputo
Carollo
CBRE, Inc.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Evan Cheshire
Cisco
Jonathan Claybaugh
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS


Gary Coakley
Leah Culver
Ruben Diaz
Dolby Laboratories Charity Fund Cornelia Enders
Ernst & Young LLP Richard Fair
Kacie Friedrichs
Christine Gardner
Robert Geshlider
Goggio Family Foundation Elyce Haut
Jennie Herriot-Hatfield Justin Ho
Lara Kehoe Hoffman Larissa Hoffman
Iris Hu
Park James
Matthew Jee
Steve Jenson
David Johnson
Gerald Kanapathy
Cheryl and Gary King Stacey Layton
Anabel Lee
Patricia S. Mar
McGuire and Hester Mighty Cause
Virginia Molinari
Morgan Stanley Gift Fund
Network for Good Niantic Labs Douglas Nicolson Anna Nordberg Orbis Investments Justin Palpant PayPal Giving Fund Thomas Perfumo Karn Roorda Katherine Savitz Rupal Shah Richard B. Shane Tim Sheiner
Eric Stinson
The Hartford
Truebeck Construction
Udemy
Shobin Uralil
Matt Van Winkle
Townsend Walker
Lucia Wallace
Abra and Jeremy Williams Fund Jennifer Wilson
Sylvia Yee and Brian McCaffrey M.B. & Edna Zale Foundation Miranda Dietz Zeyliger
$100+
Anonymous (2)
Teresita Abuyen
Camie Adema
Stefan Adler
Todd Ahern
Ahmad-Sedlander Family Trust Michelle Akerman
Grace Alano
Jim Alexander
Nicholas Alvarado America’s Charities Maria Anaya
Mike Anderson
Shioko Anderson Frances Aimee Arcilla Anjali Asrani
Karen AuYeung
Tiffany Avila
Soraya Azari
Stephen Azzi
Mina Bajraktarevic Kristin Balabanian Anoop Baliga
Robert Barth
Andrea Barton-Elson Jessa M. Barzelay
Komal Bawa
Jeremy Becker
Benjamin Beneski Tamara Odisho Benjamin
Ruth Bernstein
Jennifer Bhalla
Cathay Bi
Melissa Bilash
Jennifer Bing
Jennifer Bishop
Karin Blair-Fox
Gentle Blythe
Kevin Bohnert
Jonathan Bongco
Blaine Bookey
Deborah Borne
Virginia Boster
Sherry Bourzac
Dorothy Bowie
Calvin Brahm
Andrew Brannegan Lindsay Braunig
Bright Funds Foundation Deidre Brill
Tracey Briones
Cindy Burg
Charlotte Burgess-Auburn Katherine Burton
Sarah Cahuas
Ann Caimi
Michelle Callarman
Mary Cancelmo
Kellan Carter
Sarah Castelblanco
47


48
Verna Antonette Castro Lisa Caswell
David Chang
Andrew Charnas Angela Chau
Vanna Chau Christy Chen Shuting Chen Vivien Lou Chen Kimberly L. Cheung David Chia
Esther Chien Komal Chokshi May Chong Shannon Chu Nicole Chuhak Abigail Chung Josh Clemm Jeffrey Cohen Genevieve Conaty Katrina Connolly Kathleen Consalus Anthony Consilio Kristen Cordle Gregory Corvi Andrea Cristofani Jonathan Crosby Paul Cunningham Alex Cyriac Gregory Dannis Taylor Dearinger Susie Decker Ramila Desai Meredith Dodson Stephen Dodson Sophey Dong Leah Dorazio
Lisa Duba
Diane Durst eBay
Gretchen Evans Jennifer Faye Ethan Fingerman Kari Lou Frank Ruth Franklin Gary Freund
Ann Friedman Danica Fujimori David Gainer
Stacey P. Galipeau Theresa Gee Johanna Gendelman Tia Ghose
KC Gleason Andrei Gog Andrei Gog Denise Goldstein Pavan Gollapalli Karen Gordon Amy Graff
Ellen Grantz
Sarah Grossman-Swenson Sharon Grossman
Karla Leon Guerrero Zsofia Gutvill
Jacob Hadary
Jessica Hageman
Belinda Hahn
Jennifer Halbleib Courtney Helland Marilyn Hersh
Benjamin Hirsch
Mary Hirsh
Stephanie Honeyman Enru Hong
Cathy Hongola-Baptista
Jill Hoogendyk
Bernadette Humphrey
Lucinda Hung
Jodi Inkenbrandt
Marilee Irwin
Kristen Ivanetich
Ovid Jacob
Annie Jason
Emily Jastrzembski
Jessica Jenkins
Mathew Jung
Lauren Kaplowitz
Sabrina Kartzman
Deanne Katz and Jeffrey Cohen Rosanne Smith Kaya
Rebecca Kee
Tara Killebrew
Barbara Kimport
Barbara Kimport
Katrina Kimport
Shelley Klop
Sharon Kong
Justin Kubal
Helen Kwar
Barbara Lally
Albert Lang
Mele Lau-Smith
Edward Lawless
Molly Layshock
Elizabeth Leader
Michelle Leao
Gil Lee
Ka Yee Lee
Melissa Lee
Peter Lee
Carol Lei
Diana Leiden
Myong Leigh
Feralee Levin Julie Levin Rachel Levin Ekaterina Levy Corrine Lewy Lily Liang Austin Lin LinkedIn
Erin Loback Michelle Loomis Beth Lovett Kevin Lowry Matt Lublinsky Siobhan Lucas Felker Luke
Lisa Lund
Ross MacKinnon
John Mai
Laverne Maliga
Nina Manzo
Andrea Marmor
Jane Marmor
Hilarie Mazur
Jordan Mazur
Helen (Chou) McCabe Scott McCabe
Amanda McDougall Alexandra Moser
Sarah Mundal
Jim Murphy
Elizabeth Nartker
Tam Ng
NJKJK Charitable Fund Eric Norman
Kristin Novotny
Anne O’Leary
Michael Olague Meredith Osborn
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS


“The way that Spark* responded during the pandemic and was able to cultivate relationships with existing and new donors to provide rapid response support to families and students in need demonstrates that the district can make a difference and can excel in times of crisis.”
– Raquiba LaBRIE, Program Director, Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
49


Leslie Owen
Jaya Palaniyandi
Jennifer Palbusa
Jacob Palmer
Nancy Palmer
Leon Parker and Gloria Wu Nicholas T. Pera
Luis Perdices
Ceshea Peters
Jessica Pfisterer
Augie Phillips
Tonya Pierre
Jeremy P. Pollack
Jennifer Polyocan
Karen Prince
Anantha Puttaswamy
Ronald Quan
Ram Raghunathan
Supryia Ray
Kathy Reiner
Dennis Richardson
Karen Schneemann
Becky Schweighardt
Janet Selinger
Sylvia Selinger
Philip Shen
Diane Shinta
Gaynorann Siataga
Michael Silverman
Matthew Silvey
Lin Sin
Asha Camper Singh
Jane Smith
The Sobranto Family Foundation Paula Sokolich
Peter Sokoloff
Craig Solomon
Rani Spudich
David Steenson
Elysa Stein
Andrew Strickman
Dara Strolovitch Pattie Strong
Dan Sulfaro Nicholas Sutton Synopsys Foundation Jeffrey Tabas Sweetie Tagata Annie Tahtinen
Si Tang
Lawrence Taplin
Kristie Tappan
Josh Tetrick
Oscia Timschelllinvill
Debra Tjoa
Russell W. Tokar
TPG
David Tsai
Kevin Tsurutome
Peter Turnbaugh
Catherine Umagat
Uncork Capital
Stacy Uyeda
D. Valentine
Meri Veavea
Yanni Velasquez
Vivek Venugopal
Laszlo Vincze
Susan Walker-Christensen
Nino Walker, Delphine Walker and
Karen Kaushansky Meghan Wallace Brian Walz
Kalie Ward
Nathan Weiner
Samuel Weitzman Wellington Management Amelie Wen
Niki Wenger
Linsday West
Mark Whiley
Brian Wong
Sandy Woo
Carla Wood
Sara B. Worthing Kimberly Wright Vanessia Wu
Cathy Ye
The Zinkgraf Family Jennifer Zubiate
$1+
Anonymous
Karen Alvarez Josephine Amponin Tami Barradas Martha Barton
Sara Barton
Carol Bauss
Lara Bautista Teressa Bellazain Mona Beltran Angela Bennett Matthew Bice
Lisa Bockelmann Deirdre Bonitz Stephen Botte
Abby Bourdreau Amanda Boushey Lucas Lochner Bravo Lauren Broder Martha Brooder Alison P. Brown David Brown
Robin Bryan
April Bues
Helen Burke Amanda Carson Roderick Castro Janet Cecchi-Acosta Monroe Charlap
Viorica Ciobanu Reilly Clewes Jianna Competente Jessica Costanzo Lora Croley Nicholas Dedina Suzanne Eick Laticia Erving Gabrielle Escalada Laura Fichtenberg Allison Fox
Julian Gelvezon Genentech Alexandria George Marisa Giglio
Rachel Giustina Aumijo Sheftel Gomes Nicole Gomes
Janis Greenspan Elissa Guest
Colin Hanlon Wendy Hartogensis Jena Hayashi Victoria Heilweil Erin Hess
Jilanne Hoffmann Jennifer Holowich Karen Honer
Jack Horner
Sarah Rosales Hunt Marco Innocenti Dahlia Kaki
Swati Kanduri Melissa Kantesaria Julie Kantner
Rachel H. Kay Kouslaa Kessler-Mata Adam Kohn
Evlyn Landaverry Eileen Lassner Bradley Levy
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS