About SPEF

In 1979, in response to educational budget conditions not unlike those faced today, a group of concerned parents and community leaders formed the South Pasadena Educational Foundation (SPEF). Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charity in 1980, SPEF was designated by the South Pasadena Unified School District (SPUSD) as the official private fund-raising organization for the support of the district’s educational programs.

Since its inception, SPEF has provided much-needed support to South Pasadena
students in all their educational needs,  including curriculum, science and technology, library services and support, visual and performing arts, foreign languages, character development,  critical thinking, career preparation, counseling, and athletics. Donations to SPEF have always supported all five of South Pasadena’s public schools: Arroyo Vista, Marengo, and Monterey Hills elementary schools, South Pasadena Middle School, and South Pasadena High School.

Over the past four decades, SPEF has raised close to $14 million to restore and enhance educational programs our school district could not fund alone. SPEF raises funds through donations from area residents and businesses, as well as by administering summer school and after-school programs that provide enhanced learning experiences to local students for a fee. SPUSD schools are the cornerstone of our community and the number one reason families move to South Pasadena.

South Pasadena Educational Foundation values and protects the privacy of its donors. Donor contact information is only used to support the mission of SPEF and South Pasadena Unified School District. Your information is never sold nor made available for commercial purposes. Requests for anonymity are honored.