920 Broad Street, New Bethlehem, PA 16242 | (814) 275-2426 | https://bbcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list
Purpose
The purpose of the Redbank Valley Education Foundation is to support worthy endeavors of the RVSD, its staff and students. Your donations will be exclusively dedicated to student scholarships and innovative Education programs as well as general support to student programs. There are a number of ways you can contribute to the benefit of these programs. Anyone can make a donation and donations of all amounts are welcome. Based on your situation, your donation can be structured differently. Alumni, businesses and individuals can contribute.
What are public school foundations?
Education foundations are “privately operated, nonprofit organizations established to assist public schools” and who qualify as charitable organizations, “different from school districts, public institutions or local governments” (Clay, Hughes, Seely & Thayer, 1985). A public school foundation “is designed to augment, supplement, or complement programs and activities currently being provided by the district” (McCormick, Baver & Ferguson, 2001). Currently in the U.S. there are over 6,250 school foundations in 14,250 school districts (McCormick et al., 2001). They have their own board of directors and their own staff, both paid and volunteer. Most school foundations operate as “an independent entity, with no formal, legal relationship to the school district” (De Luna, 1995, p.8). Foundations can specify in their bylaws whether the school board will get involvement in voting or not. (This section is taken from the National School Foundation Association website).
Foundation Membership
There is a broad range of opportunities to support the Redbank Valley School District RV Fund. Thank you for considering membership and please feel free to reach out to the foundation with any questions at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. An individual may join the RV Education Foundation by making a one-time contribution or a recurring contribution to the general RVEF Fund through general membership or assigning the donation to a specific approved program.
Make A Donation:
Donations of any denomination are appreciated at any time during the year. Please include a note if you would like your donation to be applied to a specific grant, honorarium (e.g. in honor of a staff retirement or a class gift), or memorial fund (e.g. in memory of someone who has passed). All gifts are subject to Bridge Builders Community Foundations’ Gift Acceptance 3 Policy. Donations shall be made payable to Bridge Builders Community Foundations. For more information, call the administrative office at 814.275.2426 or visit our website www.RedbankValley.net/RVEF.
One time donations are welcome and greatly appreciated.
Donations received to support any of the RVEF Funds are fully tax deductible donations under applicable federal and state laws.
Donations will vest in the RV Funds upon receipt and acceptance by the Foundation.
Paycheck Contribution:
(Redbank Valley School District Staff): Each year, RVSD teachers and administration have the opportunity to donate a small contribution directly from their paychecks. The contributions are taken post-tax but are tax deductible. The benefit of donating through direct payroll deduction is that the money 100% goes to the RVEF. Please consider making this contribution.
Submit a Matching Gift Form from your Employer:
Most companies are willing to match employee gifts to non-profits. That allows us to double the impact of your gift. In most cases, all it takes is getting a form to send in with your donation. In some cases, the non-profit has to be qualified before your gift is eligible for matching. Please check with your place of business to see if they have a gift-matching program.
Donate Items to Foundation Events (In-Kind):
Events will be held throughout the year. These events provide opportunities for community awareness for area businesses and organizations. Titled and supporting event sponsorship opportunities are available. Silent auction donations for these events are always greatly appreciated. Please contact the RVEF for more information about tax-deductible in-kind contributions.
Gifts in Honor of Someone Special
Making a donation to the Redbank Valley Education Foundation or the Redbank Valley Education Foundation Endowment is a meaningful way to honor someone special. Your gift reflects your desire to make a lasting impact on the lives of others, just as your honoree has done for you.
Gifts can be made In Honor of an alumnus, a teacher, an administrator, an employee, a person who is passionate about education, or anyone who is special to you. Honoring a person for a holiday, a birthday, a significant anniversary date of employment or upon graduation is an excellent way to give a gift with meaning. Certificates will be mailed to the person being honored and the donor can be recognized or be done anonymously. Please download this form and mail it to Redbank Valley Education Foundation 920 Broad St., New Bethlehem, PA 16242. Forms can also be scanned and emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Honoring the Memory of Alumni, Educators, Friends & Family
Gifts can be made in memory of an alumnus, a teacher, an administrator, an RVSD employee, an education advocate or any person who would want their memory connected to supporting the education of RVSD students. Making a difference for a child with a gift in memory is a wonderful way to pay tribute to an individual who has made a difference in your life.
When a gift is made, the individual’s name is recognized on our website indefinitely as a lasting tribute. To make a gift in memory, please download this form and be sure to specify for whom your gift is being made on the line provided. Gifts made by submitting the form and mailing a check, a certificate will be mailed to our family contact (or those listed). Although we do acknowledge donors who make gifts in memory on that page of our website, we do not share donation amounts publicly or with the family unless instructed to do so by the donor.
Establish a Scholarship
The RVEF Funds Foundation accepts donations, planned gifts and bequests from alumni, businesses, and community donors to support the dreams and aspirations of RVSD students pursuing all forms of post-secondary education. If you are interested in creating a scholarship please don’t hesitate to contact us. Also, if you are a student who has benefited from a scholarship, we want to hear your story.
Establishing a Student Scholarship:
We accept one-time, multi-year, and endowed scholarships to support the higher education of our students. Scholarships will be designed to meet both donor intent and the needs of our students. Scholarships can be open to all graduating seniors or designed to meet the requirements of the donor, ie…students planning to major in a specific content field or specific trade or participation in specific programs while at RVSD.
Scholarships may be in someone’s memory, designed to honor someone, or can commemorate an alumni class reunion or special event. Interested? Please contact us so we can assist you in designing your scholarship.
Designing & Awarding Your Scholarship:
Ready to design your scholarship to benefit students graduating from high schools? Please see a Scholarship Set Up Form. The Scholarship Set Up Form will help you design how the student/students will be selected and awarded, the purpose of the scholarship and any specific criteria you would like to have for the award (area of study, type of student involvement, personal characteristics, type of institution the student will be attending, financial need, etc.).
You can create a specific scholarship application for students to fill out, or you can use the RVEF Funds Foundation Scholarship Application. You can select the recipients from a pool of applications we screen for you, or you can ask a scholarship committee from the District, School, or RVEF Funds Foundation to select the recipients for you. It is all up to you, just let us know how involved in the process you would like to be.
By setting up a scholarship through the RVEF Funds Foundation, the Clarion County Community Foundation will process student awards and follow up with students on your behalf. We work closely with the high school counselors on all scholarships offered through the Foundation. Thank you for considering starting a scholarship to help students in RVSD achieve their dreams!
What is the RV General Scholarship Endowment Fund and the RV Undesignated Fund?
Endowment Fund: The establishment of a permanent endowment fund gives the school district a new way to support the students and the school community. This endowment fund targets the needs that our students and faculty, and especially the donors to the Endowment Fund, identify as important to them.
Undesignated Fund: The RV Undesignated Fund shall be a non-endowed fund with no distribution restrictions from principal or income sources. Donations that are not earmarked for a specific fund will be placed in the RV Undesignated fund.
How an Endowment Fund Works:
An endowment is funded by tax deductible donations that are invested to earn interest. Only the growth of the investment is used; the initial donation is held permanently. The RV General Scholarship Endowment distributions shall be restricted to fund income in excess of a minimum market value principal of 30K. The Endowment Fund is administered through the Clarion County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Bridge Builders Community Foundations.
Who decides where my contribution goes?
A party may make a donation to a specific fund within the family of RV Funds by naming or identifying the fund. The Foundation will honor donor intent and shall use the gift(s) for designated purpose(s), based on recommendations of the Redbank Valley Education Foundation. If the donor’s original intent cannot be met, changes in use may be made with the donor’s agreement. The Foundation reserves the right to refuse gifts that do not meet the requirements for charitable purposes of the Foundations’ Gift Acceptance Policy.
Planned Gift Through your Will or Retirement Assets
Planned giving is when an individual makes a donation, during their lifetime or at death, as part of a financial or estate plan. Whether it is through a Will, Retirement assets (IRA, 401K, etc.) or Property, individuals at all income levels can make a meaningful gift to the Redbank Valley Education Foundation through a planned gift.
Planned gifts use estate and tax planning techniques to provide for charity and other heirs in ways that maximize the gifts and/or minimize its impact on the donor’s estate.
Please contact Trenton Moulin, Executive Director of Bridge Builders, at 814-677-8687 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information on making a planned gift to Redbank Valley Education Foundation.
Organizational Structure of the Redbank Valley School District RV Funds
The Redbank Valley School District RV Funds is overseen by a steering committee of five (5) to nine (9) members that include School District alumni, faculty, board members, administration and retired educators; plus a representative of the Bridge Builders Community Foundation. This group will provide oversight of all RV Funds’ operations and activities. The initial Steering Committee members will be selected by the Redbank Valley School Board.
Duties of the Steering Committee will be:
- Oversight for activities within the family of RV Funds
- Fund raising and asset development
- Creation of additional funds
- Recommendations for expenditures within the family of RV Funds
- Promotion of RV Funds purposes and programs
- Input for growth and expansion of RV Funds
- Coordination of its activities with the Clarion County Community Foundation
The Steering Committee will meet as needed but not less than once per year to review RV Funds’ activities, set policies and administer grants.
We hope you will consider giving one of the greatest gifts of all – your time and expertise! Are you good with numbers? Love to plan events or parties? Want to get to know more people in the community and volunteer for a great cause? Here are a few ways you can consider helping the Redbank Valley School District RV Funds Foundation:
Committee Membership:
Volunteers serve on a variety of committees throughout the year led by one of the Foundation's Board Members. There's a diversity of experiences that members of our community can bring together for the good of our schools. We are always looking for expertise in finance, marketing, event planning, volunteer and alumni recruiting and much more. Serving on one of committees is a great way to get involved, and to see what were are about. If you are interested in serving, please acquaint yourself with our events/programs/services and contact the Foundation with your area of interest.
Event Help:
Our events are volunteer-driven, so we are always looking for additional helping hands to ensure our success. For most events, no experience is necessary and no special skills required ... just a willingness to help will qualify you for most volunteer opportunities! Here are the events that we could use your help.
Service Hours for Teens:
If you are a teenager who need service hours for clubs, church groups or honor societies, we can work with you and your group to find a fun and worthwhile opportunity that would not only help the Foundation but also be a rewarding experience for you.
Fundraisers:
Groups and youth organizations are often looking for charity or a non-profit organization to support throughout the year. Consider us when you're looking for your next organization to support.
Attend an Event:
Please join us at one of our next events. In addition to raising money for our schools, an additional goal is to build relationships with our Redbank Valley community. Come on out... we want to meet you!
Stay Connected:
Additional service opportunities are communicated via our website. Those that do not want the commitment of a committee position but would still like to help out should visit our website regularly.
Education Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC)
Purpose of EITC:
What is the Education Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit? The Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) provides companies with a 75% tax credit for donations to a non-profit scholarship or Education improvement organization. The tax credit increases to 90% if the company commits to making the same donations for two consecutive years. A business paying taxes in Pennsylvania can receive up to $750,000 in tax credits annually.
What types of taxes can be offset by this credit?
A business must be subject to one of the following seven Pennsylvania business taxes to participate:
- Corporate Net Income Tax
- Capital Stock Franchise Tax
- Personal Income Tax of S Corporation Shareholders, or partners in a limited or general partnership
- Bank and Trust Company Shares Tax
- Insurance Premiums Tax
- Mutual Thrift Institutions Tax
- Title Insurance Companies Shares Tax
Terms
An approved company must provide proof to DCED within 90 days of the notification letter that the contribution was made within 60 days of the notification letter. Tax credits not used in the tax year the contribution was made may not be carried forward or carried back and are not refundable or transferable.
How Businesses Apply
Pennsylvania businesses can begin applying for EITC credits through Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development’s electronic single application system. The Business Application Guide explains the process of applying. Tax credit applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis by day submitted. All applications received on a specific day will be processed on a random basis before moving on to the next day’s applications.
Applications will be approved until the amount of available tax credits is exhausted. Applications can be found at the PA DCED’s website www.newpa.com.
2024-2025 Areas to Donate
In conjunction with Bridge Builders Community Foundations, your donations can be made to support the following programs in the Redbank Valley School District:
Redbank Valley School District General Foundation Fund: As this general foundation fund grows the Steering Committee will develop and create opportunities for students and staff that can be awarded through mini-grants and/or scholarships.
Redbank Valley School District Musical Program: The Musical Program at Redbank Valley School District supplements the academic curriculum by providing students in K-12 the opportunity to perform in theatrical productions including drama and musicals. The program extends learning beyond the classroom and school day by providing balance in students’ patterns of study. Students will have the opportunity to perform in theatre productions, be a member of the stage crew, design and create sets or simply help out as a member of the production. Above all else, the musical program is about nurturing creativity. The musical program provides the students the opportunity to celebrate the richness and depth of human expression in all of its forms. Through creative expression, student learn to comprehend the world better and are therefore better equipped to navigate the challenges they might be faced with upon graduating from school. Drama and the Musical allow an avenue to develop cognitive abilities that complement study in other disciplines. Through drama, students learn to approach situation in an array of different manners which can help to develop creative thinking, new study habits and build self-confidence. The talent that students discover through the arts can form habits which transcend all areas of study. Communication between peers is accelerated as students are exposed to group activities. This performing art experience provides the opportunity to generate a rich array of reciprocal benefits for both students and the Redbank Valley School District community.
Musical Instruments Fund: This fund’s intent is to provide long term monies for the traditionally larger and/or more expensive instruments, played by multiple students over many years. It also allows those unable to afford instruments the opportunity to play.
Classroom Enhancement Mini- Grant/Innovative Teacher Award: Grants are available to fund projects that demonstrate innovative and creative ideas that support the Redbank Valley School District’s current strategic plans at the classroom level. Grants are available to Teachers, Staff, and Administrators. In addition, groups such as grade-levels or departments may apply. Parents or other community members may apply for a grant, however they must have a teacher, staff member, or administrator as a co-applicant. Grant application and guidelines are attached to this document. The Steering Committee reserves the right to alter the grant amount based on the funding of this grant.
Donations for this grant support the innovative minds of the staff in providing an exemplary Education experience for the children in that particular classroom.
Dual Credit Program Grants: The Redbank Valley High School offers a dual enrollment (dual credit) program. This program permits high school students to take courses at local higher education institutions to earn college credits. Students remain enrolled at Redbank Valley while the college courses count towards high school graduation requirements and towards earning a college degree. The college credits are offered at a discounted rate.
Redbank Valley Shop Department: The Shop Department at Redbank Valley allows to students to practice woodworking, construction projects, 3D printing, laser printing and CAD projects. Machinery for the shop needs to be replaced periodically, and this fund will help pay for replacement machinery. An ongoing bleacher plaque fundraiser also contributes to this fund.
Summer Physical Education Initiative: This beneficial program will enhance Redbank Valley School District's academic programs and curricular offerings, and help us better teach and equip our students to be successful individuals and community members by allowing them to take this elective over the summer. This will enable them to take additional credits during the school year.
Shared Services Initiative: This beneficial program will enhance Redbank Valley School District's academic programs and curricular offerings, and help us to collaborate with other districts to better teach and equip our students to be successful individuals and community members.
Robotics/STEM Initiative: This beneficial program will enhance Redbank Valley School District's academic programs and curricular offerings, and help us better teach and equip our students to be successful individuals and community members.
Fund for the Trades: This program supports recent graduates of the Clarion County Career center who are entering the workforce. This fund provides support towards needed supplies for success in the workforce.
Established Scholarships
Gwendolyn Smith Scholarship: Ms. Gwendolyn Smith willed that a scholarship be set up in the amount of $2,250 to support the cost associated with tuition and books for one senior or twelfth grade student who intends to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania. According to the guidelines, the Superintendent of Redbank Valley School District is to make the determination of need in awarding this scholarship. This scholarship will remain in effect as long as funds are available to support said scholarship.
Margery Himes Memorial Scholarship: The Margery Himes Memorial Scholarship was established to award a scholarship to a graduating senior from Venango County or Clarion County. The following are considered when selecting a recipient; scholastic aptitude, financial need, personality and worthiness of the student with respect to honesty, integrity, and good reputation as a student.
Brad & Denise (Kemmer) Bish Scholarship: This Scholarship Fund was established by Brad & Denise (Kemmer) Bish of Clarion, PA to support Redbank Valley High School and Clarion Limestone High School graduating seniors who are pursuing a 4-year degree at Clarion University or attending any accredited trade/technical school.
Tut Toth Memorial Scholarship: The Tut Toth Memorial Scholarship Fund is supported by family and friends through an annual memorial baseball tournament. At the time of his death in 2011, Douglas "Tut" Toth was the league's player agent and manager/coach for a softball and baseball team. He was active in many local non-profits and youth sports programs, but was dedicated especially to New Bethlehem Little League. The memorial scholarship is available to students who participated in New Bethlehem Little League, graduate from Redbank Valley High School, maintain their GPA and participate in community service. It will be awarded on a competitive basis requiring an essay as part of the application.
Direct donations can be made online at https://bbcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate and put REDBANK in the search bar
OR fill out the form found at the link below and drop off at the district office.
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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Dr. Amy Rupp |
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CONTACT INFO: Bridge Builders Community Foundation |
Redbank Valley School District 920 Broad Street |
