Giving Initiatives
Student Scholarships
The Kyrene Foundation provides funding for Athletic and Community Education scholarships for students and families in need. Studies show that students involved in enrichment programs feel more bonded to their school and demonstrate improved academic performance. Community Education scholarships help to cover before and after school care for working parents, intramurals, and enrichment programs in STEM, art, language, and more. The recipients are identified and awarded in conjunction with the Kyrene School District. In the ’23-’24 school year, the Kyrene Foundation provided $30,000 of scholarships benefitting a number of students across the district!
Student Recognition
Kyrene Super Students
Kyrene Super Students are identified by their schools for exemplifying the traits in the Portrait of a Kyrene Kid. The Kyrene Foundation provides the Super Students with a $25 gift card that is awarded at the Governing Board meetings.
Slater Newman Awards
The Slater Newman award recognizes 8th graders who exemplify leadership in the areas of philanthropy and community service. Each year, two outstanding 8th graders per school are nominated by their teachers and are presented with the award at the 8th grade promotion ceremony. The Kyrene Foundation is pleased to provide award recipients with a $100 gift card for their accomplishments. The Slater Newman award is named in honor of Socorro Slater and Diane Newman, the two district employees that founded the Kyrene Foundation.
Turkey & Trimmings
Our annual Turkey Day event provides gift cards for families to provide a Thanksgiving meal of their choosing. The Kyrene School District staff identify families in need.
Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland provides families in need with a gift card to purchase their choice of a holiday meal. The Foundation also helps with holiday gifts for children. This is one of our largest giving events and is entirely made possible by the generosity of community donations.
Teachers and Staff
Classroom & School Mini-Grants
Each fall, the Kyrene Foundation provides classroom mini-grants to teachers looking to enhance the learning experience of their students. Kyrene teachers may apply for a classroom grant up to $1000 to fund items such as guest speakers, supplies, equipment, or educational study trips. In addition, the Kyrene Foundation grants one principal grant each funding cycle for up to $5000. Submissions are evaluated based on criteria such as reach, impact to student's learning, and connection to the Kyrene School District curriculum. Past recipients were able to purchase atlases, book sets, and microscopes for their classrooms, fund field trips, and carry out classroom projects such as an edible garden. Check out the links below to see the impact of our mini-grant programs.
An example of an amazing Principal grant was a grant to Paloma Elementary School to help fund the Janet Tobias Harmony Park project. The Harmony Park is a permanent installation of outdoor instruments that gives children an opportunity to experiment, cooperate, and engage in expressive play. Your donation to the Kyrene Foundation will help fund our annual mini- grant program which directly funds programs that enhance the classroom experience for students.
New Teacher Gift Cards
The Kyrene Foundation provides gift cards to new teachers to help offset the costs of setting up their new classroom and purchasing classroom supplies. The gift cards are distributed at the District’s New Teacher Orientation. Our new teachers are very appreciative of the support, which is made possible by donations such as yours.
Staff Recognition
Years of Service Recognition
The Kyrene Foundation recognizes Kyrene Employees for reaching years of service milestones. Employees are awarded a certificate, commemorative pin, and a gift card in recognition of achieving their major years of service milestones (10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years, 30 years and even 35 years!) Each year nearly 100 employees are recognized.
Staff Retirement
The Kyrene Foundation provides retiring Kyrene employees with an engraved clock to recognize their retirement from the Kyrene School District.
