What We Support
Every child’s potential deserves to be fully realized.
Through the generosity of our community, the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation funds programs that remove barriers, spark curiosity, and create opportunities for every student to succeed. From classroom grants to emergency support, here’s how we turn that belief into action.
YES Cards
Yes Cards empower teachers to quickly help students in need. Teachers are often the first to see when a child is cold, hungry, or facing hardship, but they haven’t always had the means to respond.
The Bellingham Public Schools Foundation created the Yes Card program to change that. A Yes Card is a $100 grant teachers can request in minutes on behalf of a student, with funds delivered in just a day or two.
These small, swift grants often serve as a lifeline, offering immediate relief while counselors and social workers work on longer-term solutions. Click here to learn more about Yes Cards.
Teacher Grants
The Bellingham Public School’s Foundation awards dozens of grants to individual teachers every year. When you give passionate and caring teachers the resources they need, amazing things happen! Thanks to our generous donors, teachers throughout the school district are able to provide their students with incredible opportunities. Click here to learn more and see a list of grants funded for 2024-2025.
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education builds the foundation for lifelong learning and success. Aligned with The Bellingham Promise, the Foundation invests in programs that give our youngest learners the strongest possible start.
We support Promise K, an innovative program that helps close early learning gaps by giving children who don’t qualify for free preschool and whose families can’t afford private options a jumpstart on kindergarten.
We also fund resources for GRADS, which empowers pregnant and parenting teens to complete high school while gaining parenting, career, and financial literacy skills to create brighter futures for their babies.
STEAM
STEAM education sparks curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. By supporting science, technology, engineering, arts, and math opportunities, the Foundation helps students discover their passions and prepare for future careers.
We fund dozens of teacher grants every year with a STEAM focus, provide stipends for music teachers, and help sustain beloved programs like 5th Grade Strings. We also back robotics teams and support students representing Bellingham at national and international competitions, ensuring every learner has the chance to explore, innovate, and excel.
Career/College Prep
Career and college readiness opens doors to brighter futures. We help ensure students see what’s possible beyond graduation by funding opportunities that expand their horizons.
We’ve supported AVID field trips to colleges like the University of Washington, helped students compete at the national DECA level, and even funded a teacher grant to bring financial literacy into the classroom. Each year, we respond to needs as they arise, providing resources that prepare students for whatever path they choose next.
Unified Sports
Unified Sports brings students of all abilities together on the same team. Part of the Special Olympics movement, Unified Sports promotes inclusion by pairing students with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete side by side. These programs break down barriers, foster friendships, and build confidence, both on and off the field.
The Foundation helps ensure that every student who wants to play can participate by funding 1:1 support, so that inclusive teams can truly thrive.
Student Well-Being
Student well-being is essential for learning and growth. We invest in programs that nurture students’ mental, emotional, and physical health, creating school environments where every child can holistically flourish.
Our support has helped fund mental health counseling, create inclusive spaces for students in special education, and expand bike education across the district. Each effort reflects our belief that when students feel safe, supported, and included, they’re better able to learn and succeed.
Food For Thought
Food for Thought makes sure hunger isn’t a barrier to learning. The Foundation helps cover student lunch debt, provides snacks so kids can focus in class, and has even supplied emergency food boxes when families faced crisis.
By stepping in where other resources fall short, Food for Thought ensures every student can come to school ready to learn.
Fiscal Sponsorship
Fiscal sponsorship extends our mission by helping others fulfill theirs. Through fiscal sponsorship, BPSF serves as a financial “home” for smaller organizations and school groups that align with our vision but lack their own nonprofit infrastructure.
We handle donations, accounting, and bill payments for partners like Whatcom Youth Pride, as well as PTOs and PTSAs that don’t have the volunteer capacity or expertise to manage finances on their own. This behind-the-scenes support allows them to focus on their programs, while we ensure funds are managed responsibly and in line with our shared mission. Click here to learn more.
DEI Programs
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into everything we do. Guided by The Bellingham Promise, our district’s commitment to “each and every child”, BPSF supports programs that ensure all students feel seen, valued, and supported.
From Yes Cards that remove barriers for students in crisis, to teacher grants that bring inclusive curriculum and experiences into classrooms, to funding opportunities that open doors for every learner, nearly all of our work advances equity and belonging. It isn’t a single program, it’s at the heart of our mission.
Family Support
Family support strengthens the foundation for student success. When families’ basic needs are met, students are better able to focus, learn, and thrive, and the Foundation helps fill critical gaps when other resources fall short.
We support the Family Resource Center, which provides essentials like toiletries, diapers, and cleaning supplies to families with children in the district, and we fund starter kits with kitchen items, mattresses, and bedding for families transitioning out of homelessness. We also respond to urgent needs — from community crises to unexpected hardships — ensuring help is there when it’s needed most.
I’ve seen a child’s trajectory change from not being comfortable in school or quiet—and all of a sudden, you see the lights go, the engine gets fired up, and the confidence grows. That’s where it starts. When you have kids believing they can do anything, there’s no stopping them.
Julie B., former BPS teacher and principal, former BPSF board member