SESSFA in the News

Seattle parents move to reduce school fundraising inequityPTSAs in two neighborhoods are reimagining their approach – and asking if there’s a better way.

Meghan Bedell, SESSFA Founding Member, Wing Luke Site Leader and Finance Work Group Lead, described her experience and reason to get involved in SESSFA. Please read and share!

Building a brighter futureRedefining PTSA school fundraising is critical in order to ensure equitable support of all schools. A local mom explains why its her priority.

The Stranger referenced SESSFA's work in an article on the Seattle School Board's efforts to rethink PTA fundraising.

Seattle Considers Ways to Spread PTA Money Around More FairlyThey're thinkin' about it!

Check out our feature on KUOW's Seattle Now podcast!

A group of Seattle school PTAs is redistributing wealth to help studentsPTAs in more well-off communities have greater fundraising power, but one Seattle group has found a way to stretch its dollars to make a bigger impact — the Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance. It flips the script on the normal PTA funding approach.

Giving in AmericaGiving in America looks at the historical role of philanthropy in shaping the United States. The exhibit showcases four major themes of American philanthropy centered on the questions of “Who Gives?” “Why Do We Give?” “What Do We Give?” and “How Do We Give?” On display are artifacts ranging from a collection box of the 1800s to a bucket used during the 2014-15 “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” which went viral on social media.

With gratitude: In the Spring of 2022, The National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian reached out to us to ask if we could submit relics for their Giving in America exhbit. We have officially gifted two copies of the 2022 Move a thon Bingo Board (so that both the front and back can be displayed) as well as a water bottle from the 2021 year. We will be featured soon on this site, and live in Washington DC. We are honored to be recognized nationally for our work.

Equity-Focused Fundraiser for Southeast Seattle Schools Is Back — and Bigger Than Ever | South Seattle Emeraldby Ben Adlin For almost three years now, parents and teachers representing more than a dozen Southeast Seattle schools have been meeting regularly to discuss the pernicious problem of PTA fundraising, all while planning one of the biggest fundraisers their schools have ever seen. Organizers are keenly aware of the apparent contradiction in their work. … Continue reading Equity-Focused Fundraiser for Southeast Seattle Schools Is Back — and Bigger Than Ever →

12 Southeast Seattle Schools to Share Fundraising Proceeds; New Equity Approachby Ben Adlin All across Southeast Seattle this week, elementary students have been hopping, dancing, stretching, and occasionally even crab-walking as part of a fundraiser for local schools. What m…

A South Seattle School Fundraiser Is Questioning School Fundraising Itself | South Seattle EmeraldAs an experimental school fundraiser in southeast Seattle enters its second year, organizers are putting even more emphasis on equity and local communities — and the rest of the district is paying attention.

Playing 'the floor is lava' for a more equitable PTA in South SeattleFamilies are holding a 'move-a-thon' in South Seattle all week to work on a big gap in public schools: Parent Teacher Association funding.

Wealthy Families Fundraising for Public Schools Poses Troubling Equity Issues | South Seattle Emeraldby Neal Morton, The Hechinger Report (This story about PTAs was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.) In 2013, families at a Seattle high school raked in more than $100,000 for a raffle to win a Tesla Model … Continue reading Wealthy Families Fundraising for Public Schools Poses Troubling Equity Issues →

Seattle move-a-thon raises money equitably for south end studentsSome southeast Seattle schools are teaming up to raise big money.