In 1978, Proposition 13 decimated funding for public education, transforming the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) from the highest-funded school district in the country to one of the lowest-funded. This drastically shifted the trajectory of public schools and their programming for years. While the immediate effects of Prop. 13’s passing were devastating for many schools, teachers, and students, it stirred up community action led by individuals who were eager to bring back money and support to local public schools.
Community activist Glady Thacher strongly believed that the community needed to “reach out to the private sector and inject money and care into the schools.” She first took action by setting up a meeting at Grattan Elementary School – crossing through picket lines – to speak directly with the teachers and faculty. With the support of a citizen committee, the superintendent of the school district, and the Board of Education, Glady founded the San Francisco Education Fund (Ed Fund) in 1979.
San Francisco Education Fund Founder and Former Executive Director
With significant initial operating funding coming from the S.H. Cowell Foundation, the SF Ed Fund quickly grew into an established organization that placed tens of thousands of dollars in grants into the hands of teachers across the district. By the end of her eleven-year tenure as Executive Director, Glady had worked with local foundations and philanthropists to establish an endowment that would ensure teachers would have access to grants into the future. As of the end of the 2023-24 school year, the organization has given over $18.7 million to students, teachers, and schools in SFUSD.
In 2009, the SF Ed Fund merged with San Francisco School Volunteers, an organization founded in 1963 by Gretchen de Baubigny to place community members in classrooms to support teachers and students.
The SF Ed Fund has always been nimble and responsive to the needs of public school students and teachers, and the organization continues to make an impact in local schools through a variety of programs supporting quality learning, facilitating community support, and providing financial resources.
San Francisco School Volunteers Founder
