2009-10 Results

The Novato Charter School Foundation (NCSF) is a nonprofit organization run by parent volunteers with the sole mission of raising funds to support the Specialty Programs fundamental to the school’s whole-child educational pedagogy and to bridge the gap between the cost of such quality education and the substandard and ever decreasing funding the State of California provides.

The Novato Charter School is one of the lowest funded schools in the County, in a State that already ranks 46th nationwide in per-pupil spending. It does not receive funds from parcel taxes nor receive proceeds from the sale of School Bonds to cover the costs of new construction, expansion, renovation or maintenance of facilities.

Whereas before, the Foundation could focus exclusively on raising funds to maintain the school’s Specialty Programs and invest in its facilities, due to the ongoing fiscal crisis, it is now forced into the business of providing a backfill to State funding for the school’s most basic operations.

Thanks to the commitment of our parent community, the generosity of grandparents, the magic of the Enchanted Garden, and successful grant-seeking efforts, the Foundation met its fundraising target for 2009-10.

• 161 families (96%) pledged their financial commitment as Keepers of the Magic, and six out of ten grades had a participation rate of 100%.
• One third of families contributed their full share in pledge
• The school netted the best return ever for the annual Enchanted Garden event thanks to a more widely advertised online auction
• Fundraising via external grants was up 47% from last year