Monday, November 2 marks the official start of the Grade-Level Challenge for Piedmont Education Foundation’s (PEF) 2026 Giving Campaign. A longstanding tradition. The friendly competition challenges each grade to rally its families and see who can achieve the highest participation in the Giving Campaign.
The grade with the highest percent of households participating by December 31 will win an invitation to a special celebration. There’s a little bit of rivalry along the way, but the goal is for every family to take part in the Giving Campaign.
Last year, first grade took top honors with an impressive 79% participation rate, earning a special visit from Fur, Scales and Tails at Veteran’s Hall.
This year the Giving Campaign co-chairs Bindu Lokre, Brook Meakins, and Ellie Somers are adding a new twist. They will be hosting three separate competitions; one for the elementary schools, one for the middle school, and one for the high schools. “It’s been a foregone conclusion each year that the winner will be an elementary school grade, so there isn’t as much impetus for secondary families,” shared Lokre. “We want to bring friendly competition to the middle and high schools because it truly takes all of us.” Lokre is working with the PEF board chair Bridget Schreiber and principals Jamie Van Kleek, David Yoshihara, and Irma Muñoz Daniels, who have come up with some compelling award ideas, which will be announced shortly. Awarded celebrations are for all students in the winning grades.
There are always quite a few questions around the competition. PEF Executive Director Heather Frank shares some responses.
Q: If I have more than one child in the schools, will they all get credit for my gift?
A: Families can be assured that PEF’s database contains household information for each student, and all get credited for the household gift. For example, your 2nd, 4th, and 8th graders will each get a point toward the 100% participation goal for their grade.
Q: How much should I give?
A: We ask that every family make a personally meaningful gift. PUSD’s needs continue to grow, and our fundraising efforts grow with them. Right now, the difference between what PUSD receives from state and local funding and what it spends is $2,528 per student. We would love for every family to give the per-child gap or more, but understand that isn’t always possible. A donation of any amount counts toward participation. Individual donation amounts are not shared publicly. To see the published donation categories, take a look at PEF’s annual Patron Impact Report.
Q: Are there separate competitions for each school?
A: The banners hanging outside of each school are updated weekly and show participation by grade for that school. PEF is sponsoring the grade-level challenge, but individual school sites are welcome to host internal competitions. The school with the highest overall family participation gets bragging rights.
Q: Who is in the lead?
A: As of October 30, 2nd grade is in the lead. Nearly half of households with a second grader have contributed. This is the class that won last year as first graders and they are quite competitive, but 4th grade isn’t far behind. At PMS, 6th grade is leading with 43.5% participation, and the 10th grade class is winning at the high school level with 34.5% participation. Havens has the highest school-wide participation with 44.5% of families giving. Last year, Beach was the highest, reaching 75.5% participation. Weekly updates will be shared with families and parents clubs.
Q: How can I make my gift?
A: Visit PiedmontEdFoundation.org/ways-to-give for a list of the different ways we accept donations. Most people choose to make a gift by sending a check to Piedmont Education Foundation at 401 Highland Ave, online by credit card at PiedmontEdFoundation.org/donate, or making a recommendation to your donor advised fund. The office is always happy to help with this process. We can be reached at (510) 653-1816 or info@piedmontedfoundation.org.
About Piedmont Education Foundation
Established in 1975, the mission of the Piedmont Education Foundation (PEF) is to provide sustained financial support to Piedmont schools through fundraising and community engagement. PEF stewards grants and endowment funds that support the Piedmont Unified School District, fostering educational innovation, academic excellence, and student well-being.