With a quick drive through any of Florida’s public universities, the level of private sector support for these institutions becomes quite obvious. Corporate logos are emblazoned on arenas and stadiums; family names are inscribed on libraries, colleges and roads.

Equally apparent is that while higher education has had a head start of several decades, K-12 public education has been paying attention to its successes.

Typically less about “bricks and mortar” and more about providing targeted support for students, teachers and schools when tax dollars fall short or school budgets won’t allow, the local education foundation movement began in the mid-1980s. Since then, its support has steadily accelerated, with an estimated $45 million now raised annually by school district–wide foundations throughout the state.

Sale of the state’s first specialty license plate, introduced in 1984, was the initial source of revenue for the fledgling foundations. The “Support Education” plate — with its ubiquitous apple, mortarboard and pencil graphics — still benefits local education foundations in the county where the plate is purchased and renewed, often funding these new 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporations’ core programs, such as student scholarships, classroom grants for teachers and mentoring for at-risk students.

Not long after the plate was introduced, the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations was formed to provide a forum for the exchange of information and development of resources among school district–wide education foundations in order to increase their ability to enhance public education at the local level. More than 20 years later, these foundations’ volunteer leaders and staff continue to meet for networking and sharing best practices, providing financial support and communicating a statewide “voice” for education foundations.

Currently, 60 of Florida’s 67 school districts have districtwide local education foundations, and 53 of them are members of the consortium. More than 1,000 Florida community leaders serve on local education foundation boards, with 73 percent of these volunteers coming from the private sector. The consortium serves as the primary link between local education foundations and regional, statewide and national donors, providing a turnkey way for them to invest in public education on a statewide or regional basis.

The result: much-needed support.

When Amscot Financial rolled out its “Just a Dollar” campaign to invite customers to provide scholarship and literacy program support in local school districts, the consortium facilitated the effort in 15 counties, with nearly $200,000 raised in three years. Similarly, when department store chains Belk and Macy’s wanted to support Florida’s teachers and students, they partnered with the consortium to coordinate their contribution program in a uniform way among all the communities where they do business.

The consortium also represents the interests of education foundations in the state legislature. Before 2000, education foundations did not have the benefit of a legislative matching fund program, which is a successful characteristic of fund raising in higher education. Through the collaborative effort of all members, the consortium successfully advocated for the creation of the School District Matching Grant Program, which has been funded for the past six years. During this time, the Legislature provided more than $12.5 million, matched dollar for dollar to fund projects through the local education foundations.

Most recently, the consortium has formed a leadership council to capture the tremendous level of board member support for local education foundations throughout the state and create a “business voice” for public education. The council is made up of one board member from each member foundation and other business leaders involved with education foundations on a statewide or regional basis. These business owners, attorneys, bankers and industry leaders are committed stakeholders in public education. Notably, they are ready to look beyond their county’s borders and speak up for local education foundations and K-12 public education in a broad, comprehensive way. The group was successful in advocating for continuation of the School District Matching Grant Program during the challenging 2009 legislative session, and it is now poised to speak up on other issues of mutual concern to Florida’s local education foundations.

In Central Florida, seven local education foundations are providing substantive support for students, teachers and schools, with a number of key initiatives:

Brevard Schools Foundation

The foundation provides educational enhancements to students in Brevard Public Schools. Major programs include $chool Buck$ Classroom grants for teachers, Space Week, Take Stock in Children, scholarships for graduating seniors, Teen Trendsetters reading mentors, Robotics and the Back to School Safari at Brevard Zoo. In addition, Brevard Schools Foundation helps fund staff development opportunities for teachers and more than 300 additional programs at specific schools in Brevard. More info: www.bsf.brevardschools.org

Educational Foundation of Lake County

The foundation serves as the direct-support organization for the Lake County Public Schools, benefiting 40,100 students and 2,800 teachers. The four major program initiatives include Apple-Mart, a retail store where teachers shop for free; HAH, a homework assistance hotline and chat room; Grants for Great Ideas, a minigrant program for teachers; and Back to School Fair, where backpacks and school supplies are distributed to more than 3,200 K-5 students who are on the free National School Lunch Program. More info: www.lake.k12.fl.us

Foundation for Orange County Public Schools

Founded in 1987, the foundation has as its mission a focus on provision of community resources to classrooms throughout the district to ensure a quality public school education for all students. Major initiatives include Count Me In!, a grass-roots, citizen-based initiative that creates greater public demand for quality education; Classroom Teacher Grants, which distributes some $200,000 annually to classroom teachers for supplies, equipment and innovative projects; and Read2Succeed, a program that places mentors and materials in classrooms to support low-achieving second-grade students across the district. More info: www.foundationforocps.org

Education Foundation-Osceola County

A nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting public education, teachers and students, the foundation is led by a volunteer board of directors and currently awards more than 130 scholarships each year to Osceola County graduates. Other important accomplishments include matching children with mentors through the Take Stock in Children and Bookmark Buddies programs, providing classroom supplies to needy students and eligible teachers at no cost through a free store for teachers, as well as providing classroom project grants and hosting special appreciation events for Osceola County educators and students. More info: www.foundationosceola.org

Polk Education Foundation

The foundation was created in 1988 as a 501(c)(3) direct-support organization for the Polk County School Board. It serves as the fiscal agent and manager of many educational programs for Polk County Schools. More than $27 million has been raised since the PEF’s inception, to support programs and initiatives that tax-generated dollars cannot fund. The PEF sponsors programs in these five areas: student scholarships, literacy, teacher/school grants, employee recognition and student recognition. As needs arise, various other student- and teacher-support services are also administered by the PEF. More info: www.polkeducationfoundation.org

The Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools

The foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that raises funds to further enhance the superior performance of students and teachers in Seminole County Public Schools. The foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of education in the county’s public schools With a variety of programs, including Arts Alive!, Grants for Great Ideas and scholarships for teachers and students, the foundation fosters business and community involvement in the public schools. It also provides recognition and rewards for outstanding contributions to and performance within the school system. More info: www.foundationscps.org

FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools

The foundation is a direct-funding support group composed of business and civic leaders. Its main goal is to raise money to support motivational and recognition activities for students and staff. It sponsors grants for innovative teacher projects, having provided more than $1 million in classroom support since its inception, leadership training for high school students, college tuition scholarships, a high school mentoring program, a dropout-prevention program and a variety of teacher- and staff-recognition programs. More info: www.FuturesVolusia.org

Individuals and businesses interested in advancing public education in their local community are always welcome to contact their local education foundation for volunteer and sponsorship opportunities. To learn more about the consortium’s efforts and explore a possible partnership to benefit multiple counties, visit www.cfef.net.

Editor’s note: Mary Chance is executive director of the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations.