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TOPS K-8 School/Get Involved/Fundraising/Equity Fund

Equity Fund

Friends of TOPS Equity Fund

We are pleased to offer the option to TOPSK8 donors to give to the Friends of TOPS Equity Fund as well as Friends of TOPS programming.

Money donated to the Equity Fund will be shared with other Seattle schools or local organizations supporting schools that have minimal or no parent/community fundraising. The funds raised in the current school year will be distributed the following year. 

Choose “Equity Fund” from the drop down menu to direct your gift to the Equity Fund.  Choose “TOPS programs” to direct your gift to programs at TOPS.  To give to both, please perform two separate donations. 

The Equity Fund was created in 2022 to more closely align TOPS fundraising practices with our social justice mission.  It is one way we can deepen our commitment to equitable resource allocation across Seattle schools. Our vision is that all schools are able to fund the enrichment activities and educational support that meet the needs of their students.

Historical practices and policies such as redlining created a racially and socioeconomically segregated Seattle. Today, the public schools in those neighborhoods that have been historically underserved typically raise the least amount of funds from their parent organizations, while neighborhoods with financial wealth raise the most– perpetuating and widening resource and opportunity gaps among Seattle schools.  

By sharing economic resources through the Equity Fund, we are acting collectively to reduce those gaps and support better educational outcomes for students across Seattle. 

Equity Fund Committee

With the creation of the Equity Fund, an Equity Fund Committee was formed. All parents and TOPS community members are invited to participate. Goals of the committee include:

  • research and recommend where dollars donated to the Equity Fund will be directed
  • assess the Equity Funds donations as one way to determine the TOPS community investment in more equitable school funding
  • continue to identify and incorporate more sustainable and equitable fundraising practices in line with our school’s mission. 

Please email fundsharing@topsk8.org to join the committee, share ideas, and/or ask questions.

Equity Fund Allocations:

2021-22: The money designated for fundsharing in the Friends of TOPS 2021-22 budget was allocated to Lowell Elementary. Those funds were leveraged to help complete the School Based Health Center on the Lowell campus. 

2022-23: Money donated to the Equity Fund by donors during the 2021-22 school year to be distributed in 2022-23: 50% to Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance which represents 15 schools in southeast Seattle focussing on collaborative fundraising, equitable allocation and community collaboration; and 50% to Lowell Elementary PTA, a neighboring school that has expressed interest in furthering a relationship with TOPS.  

2023-24: Money donated to the Equity Fund by donors during the 2022-23 school year to be distributed in 2023-24: 50% to Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance which represents 15 schools in southeast Seattle focussing on collaborative fundraising, equitable allocation and community collaboration; and 50% to Lowell Elementary PTA, a neighboring school that has expressed interest in furthering a relationship with TOPS.  

Additional Resources

The following links provide some additional information around the current state parent-teacher organization fundraising and fund sharing, emerging equity-focused fundraising, and Seattle-area, community-based organizations working in this space.