BPEF was one of 17  local education foundations to receive a grant this month when Wells Fargo Foundation announced a total of $245,000 in awards to support public schools throughout the East Bay.   At a gathering to hand the checks personally to representatives from the foundations,  Micky Randhawa, president of Wells Fargo’s East Bay market said  “By providing funding to school foundations, parents and foundation leaders can address schools’ most pressing needs.  What is most important is that the funds go where it matters the most -– right into the classrooms with the students.”

BPEF Executive Molly Fraker with representatives from Wells Fargo's East Bay team.

In accepting the check, BPEF Executive Director Molly Fraker noted with gratitude that the funds were arriving at an auspicious moment,  since BPEF had just completed its announcement of grants totaling $224,000 for the 2011-12 school year, and was hosting a celebration for teacher recipients that same day.   “A grant this size makes an enormous impact in how many more projects we can fund.  Wells Fargo is our largest single corporate donor for this vital program and we are tremendously grateful.”

Wells Fargo has a long-standing commitment to local education. In Nov. 2011, Wells Fargo announced that the company is donating $1 million to benefit education throughout the Bay Area. Including the $1 million dollars, Wells Fargo has donated more than $13.3 million to schools and nonprofit organizations for educational purposes in the Bay Area, since 2009.   The grants presented at this event are designated to benefit select school districts with significant enrollment from students coming from low-to-moderate income families.