Our Story

Bainbridge Schools Foundation works to support the school district’s vision and mission. We raise funds, gather resources and act as a catalyst to involve the community in public education. Our goal is to help bridge the gap between what the district receives to fund education and what it needs to adequately fund its programs to achieve educational excellence.

Our Mission

• Develop sustainable funding resources to ensure that our students achieve global standards of academic excellence.
• Provide the community with opportunities to assure the continued excellence of public education on Bainbridge Island.
• Generate and distribute resources to maintain, enrich, and expand programs and staffing to meet global standards of academic excellence.
• Inspire parents, community members, civic organizations and businesses to partner with the District in enhancing education.
• Increase public awareness of the challenges of funding public education.
• Build a sustainable education fund as a legacy for the future.

Our History

In early 2006, the Bainbridge Educational Support Team (B.E.S.T.) and the Bainbridge Public Schools Trust agreed to merge to create a more cohesive, community-wide foundation committed to raising the essential funds needed to support public education. Between the two organizations, there is a 22-year history of funding professional development for our teachers, purchasing new curriculum materials and lowering classroom sizes. These separate organizations provided over 2.5 million dollars to our public schools.