Grosse Pointe Education Funding, Powered by Neighbors
For over 20 years, we've funded the student support programs and academic enrichment that public school funding alone doesn't reach.
“The Grosse Pointe Foundation for Public Education brings our community together to fund extraordinary educational opportunities for our children.”
For more than 20 years, GPFPE has worked alongside the Grosse Pointe Public School System to make sure a great public education means more than what's covered by public funding alone. We've funded over $5 million in grants to teachers, administrators and student groups, because we believe that investing in our children is investing in our future.
We are a nonpartisan organization. We welcome and are supported by neighbors across the political spectrum, united by one belief: every child in our district deserves the best possible public education. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, fully independent of the school district's own funding, and our finances are audited annually - because the trust our community places in us is something we work to earn every year.
What We Value
Five Commitments That Guide Everything We Fund
These aren't decorations. They're the questions we ask ourselves before every funding decision.
01.
Collaboration
We search out and develop partnerships to better serve our students and community.
02.
Responsibility
We pledge to be accountable to our partners, donors, volunteers and the students we serve.
03.
Innovation
We strive to be forward thinking and inclusive.
04.
Impact
We enhance our school system, our greater community and, as a result, our world.
05.
Empowerment
We fund programs that help each student realize his or her full potential.
Public School Support Michigan Funding Doesn't Cover
Public school funding in Michigan doesn't work the way most people assume. Since 1994, when Proposal A passed, local school tax revenue hasn't gone directly to local districts - it's sent to Lansing and redistributed by the state through a formula that hasn't kept pace with the real cost of educating a child today.
For the Grosse Pointe Public School System, state funding is equal to the amount generated in 1994, held there in part by the "hold harmless" millage. Without that millage, the district would be receiving less than its 1994 level.
That gap is exactly where GPFPE steps in. We fund the educational enhancements and enrichment projects, the mental health and student support resources, and the pilot programs and staff development that keep a great school district great.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ The funding gap
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Built here
A Foundation Built by This Community
GPFPE is powered entirely by volunteers - parents, alumni and neighbors who understand that an excellent public school system is part of what makes Grosse Pointe home, regardless of party or politics.
Our Board of Directors serves without pay, bringing their own professional experience to make sure every dollar raised goes toward our students, and every dollar is accounted for in our independent annual audit.
Make a difference
Strong Schools Build Strong Communities
When our community gives to GPFPE, that gift goes directly to a classroom, a student or a program that needs it.