PEF awards more than $3 million in Impact Grants

The Petaluma Educational Foundation has once again stepped up big time to help Petaluma-area schools.

PEF recently awarded its annual Impact Grants, providing grants to schools, both public and private, throughout the Petaluma area totaling $202,131. Since 1982, PEF has awarded grants totaling $3,346,228.

PEF awards grants of up to $15,000 for programs to support effective instructional ideas, student access and impact and innovations to enrich and enhance the academic experience of students.

Main focus areas for the grants are technology, science, health and nutrition, STEM/STEAM, fine arts and literacy and the language arts.

Among the schools to benefit from IMPACT Grants this year are:

Live Oak Charter: $15,000 for leveled reader library collection books.

Petaluma High School: $15,000 for a physical education 14-station cable machine.

Grant Elementary: $15,000 for codified: K-6 robotics and coding engineering tools.

Crossroads Community School: $3,662 for desk bikes for special needs students.

St. Vincent High School: $14,568 for laptops for science.

Petaluma City Schools: $3,800 for digital camera/video kits.

Petaluma High School: $14,840 for digital cameras for photography class.

La Tercera School: $10,409 for Soaring Through A Series leveled reading series for TK through sixth grades and campus book stations.

McNear Elementary: $15,000 for expanded engineering instruction for K-eighth grades.

Casa Grande High School: $15,000 for Robotics Program 2.0, student design and manufacture of robotics,

Corona Creek Elementary: $14,969 for a STEAM innovation lab for TK through sixth grade.

Valley Vista Elementary, $11,211 for Curiosity Lab: Plunging into STEM providing robotics, coding and engineering instruction for grades TK through sixth.

Meadow Elementary: M Studio for robotics, coding and engineering instruction for grades TK through sixth.

Wilson Elementary: $12,534 for a campus digital media studio.

Casa Grande High School: $14,400 for the United Anglers of Casa Grande watershed enhancement program.

South County Consortium: $12,138 for technology-based learning systems for special needs students.

PEF is accepting financial donations to support its grant program. More information is at www.pefinfo.com/grants.