Our Work

When we founded PEF in 1982, we made a promise to offer Petaluma’s youth the same educational opportunities we were afforded – or better. So that they could go on to build a brighter future for our city, our county, and our world.

Today, we sustain this promise through community-supported scholarships, impact grants, and endowed funds. Our community’s generous donations subsidize curricula that span literacy, STEAM, health education, the arts, student-well being, and more.

Since 1982, PEF has

Total Distributed
$9,399,943
Established
88

Scholarship funds

Managed
$4,525,112

(as of Dec 2022) in pool investment and endowed funds

Funded
$4,550,954

in impact grants

Enriched Over
12,000

students’ academic experience annually

Subsidized Impactful Educational Programs in
35

public, charter, and not-for-profit private schools

Awarded
$4,848,989

since the scholarship program’s inception in 1990

Schools we support

Cinnabar Elementary
Dunham Elementary
Laguna School
Liberty School
Harvest Christian School
Spring Hill Montessori
Two Rock Union Elementary
Wilson School
La Tercera Elementary Charter
Loma Vista Elementary Charter
Miwok Valley Elementary Charter
Old Adobe Elementary Charter

River Montessori
Sonoma Mountain Elementary Charter
Carpe Diem High School
Casa Grande High School
Kenilworth Junior High
Petaluma High School
Petaluma Junior High
San Antonio High School
Sonoma Mountain High School
Grant Elementary

Live Oak Charter
Mary Collins at Cherry Valley School
McDowell Elementary
McKinley School
McNear Elementary
Penngrove Elementary
Petaluma Accelerated Charter
Valley Oaks Independent Study School
Valley Vista Elementary
St. Vincent Elementary
St. Vincent High School
Corona Creek Elementary
Meadow Elementary

Scholarship Program

Scholarships are more than just a means to higher education.

Whether you are a lover of the arts or a lifelong scientist, establishing a scholarship gives you the opportunity to inspire young people with your passion for learning, while enabling them to pursue their own.

PEF is honored to currently manage over 83 scholarship funds for donors who provide us with clear criteria for selecting recipients. The program supports those going to 2-year, 4-year and vocational programs post-graduation. Learn more about how to establish your own PEF scholarship and support higher learning in your community.

Donate today Apply for a scholarship

Fund the Future Impact Grants

Countless studies show that the fine arts, physical education, and social-emotional learning (SEL) classes are critical to childhood development and wellbeing. Yet these programs are often the first to go when schools face budget cuts.

Our Fund the Future program is designed to subsidize impact grants that allow such programs to survive and thrive in our local schools. Our grants span a wide range of subjects – from vocational skills to literacy, math to humanities – but all of them aim to:

  • Create a level playing field in the classroom for students of all abilities and backgrounds.
  • Actively engage students in the learning process.
  • Provide educators opportunities to transform the delivery of education in the classroom

Help us enrich Petaluma’s education programs at all 38 local schools and make a donation today.

Donate today Apply for a grant

"My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of living in this community. Dorothy’s roots are very deep, going back three generations. We have raised our children and prospered here. Now it’s our turn to give back and support Petaluma’s youth in doing the same."

Horace Henris, donor of the Henris Family Fund

Planned Giving

PEF’s vision for the future extends well beyond our lifetimes.

We are committed to educating our children, grandchildren, and generations yet to come by laying a solid academic foundation upon which they can build their lives. In addition to your current giving, you can plan now to ensure the Foundation is able to continue our programs for generations to come.

You can help contribute to that foundation through planned giving.

A planned gift is a donation that is established during your lifetime, but that doesn’t become available to the Foundation until after your estate is settled. There are many financial benefits to planned giving, but the ultimate reward lies in knowing that you are empowering our future leaders and leaving behind a lasting legacy for our community.

Contact PEF for information to share with your financial and legal advisors.

Contact Us

Managed Funds

When you, a nonprofit or school creates a Managed Fund with PEF, your investment will be prudently invested to grow over time. You may then direct these earnings toward a specific grant or scholarship, or toward general foundation support.

Our investment portfolio, including our PEF Endowment Funds, is managed by Exchange Bank Wealth Management and overseen by our PEF Investment Advisory Committee. The Investment Advisory Committee is comprised of seasoned financial professionals who base all decisions on best practices in alignment with PEF's Investment Policy Statement with the goal to grow our resources to support PEF’s mission.

Establish a fund

"I have changed my estate plan to include PEF, meaning the Foundation will receive a gift benefitting their mission when I’m gone. If enough people join me in this effort, our academic community will not have an uncertain future, but a strongly supported one for generations to come."

Clark Rosen, Past President, PEF Board of Directors