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Gresham-Barlow Education Foundation

Over $2.3 million dollars in enhancements to enrich local kids learning
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Bringing great things to the classroom

Since its founding 25 years ago, the Gresham-Barlow Education Foundation (GBEF) has donated more than $2.3 million to the district.

When our district educators dream of ideas to increase student achievement, they often find themselves without the resources to make their dreams a reality. The GBEF provides a way to fund projects, initiatives, technology and creative ideas that fall outside the scope of the district’s operating budget. The GBEF provides the funding to make dreams come true.

About Gresham-Barlow School District

Gresham-Barlow School District supports 21 public schools open to 11,538 students for the 2023 academic year. The average test score for this district is 8/10, placing it in the top 30% of public schools in Oregon.  The district is one of the largest and most culturally diverse in the state of Oregon.

Gresham-Barlow students are in the top 5% in Oregon for reading and language arts proficiency.

Scramble for Students

Join us Monday, August 21st, 2023 for our annual golf tournament fund raiser.

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Learn about upcoming events and opportunities to help local students.

Innovative Grants

Supporting teachers and efforts across the classroom to help the children of our community thrive and learn.  

Our Mission & Vision

Bringing Great Things to the Classroom

The Gresham-Barlow Education Foundation (GBEF) is excited to continue our long heritage of Bringing Great Things to the Classroom in 2022–2023. Since 1994, we have provided grants that are ground-breaking, original, and desperately needed for our GBSD students and staff. This academic year, we anticipate receiving more inquiries. For the 2021–2022 academic year, we provided funding for:

  • Character Strong program ($15,000): In collaboration with Boeing, this middle school mental health curriculum was financed.
  • Code Jumpers ($999) is a hands-on coding tool that is available in all special education schools and is kept aboard the Tomorrow Bus.
  • K-8 Libraries (19,500): Each K-8 library will have over 50 book titles, including two print books and one e-book.
  • For usage in all elementary schools: Replacement Keyboard Lab #2 ($9,290).
  • Tumbling Mats for North Gresham Elementary School ($1,000).
  • Enhancing Literacy Through History ($1,000) will enhance East Gresham Elementary School’s fifth grade literacy goals by providing historically accurate texts about Early Colonial and Native American U.S. history.
  • Hogan Cedars Elementary School will purchase three vertical aeroponic garden units with equipment for $4,000 for use throughout the school.
  • Indigenous Perspective Materials ($2,100): Three sets of the book “Indian No More” for East Gresham Elementary School’s fourth-grade Oregon Trail unit.

Any staff member who is categorized or licensed is eligible to submit a grant application.

The title of the project or item, the name of the requester, the department or school, the cost, a description of the request, the impact of the project—including which students and how many will benefit—how it relates to current curricula and standards, and, if the grant is only partially funded, whether there is another source of funding available. You are welcome to include any other details you would like the GBEF to be aware of while evaluating the grant application.

Your building’s principle should be contacted first to get their consent on any grant proposals. Following receipt of that approval, the request will be forwarded to Dr. Tracy Klinger, Assistant Superintendent of K–12 Teaching and Learning, for review. Dr. Klinger must first approve the district before Dr. Klinger may submit the request to the Foundation board of directors for funding consideration.

Greetings for a successful school year! In upcoming Insider stories, we look forward to providing additional details about the Gresham-Barlow Education Foundation.

Reading Matters Phone-A-Thon by the Gresham-Barlow Education Foundation

Reading Matters Phone-A-Thon

The foundation’s yearly Reading Matters Phone-a-Thon is on March 4. Students will solicit money by phoning local residents and parents in the district. The money raised from this year’s phone-a-thon will be used to purchase multicultural literature for all school libraries.