What makes BAEF, BAEF?
The mission of the Burbank Arts & Education Foundation is to engage and inspire the community to invest in meeting the diverse educational needs of every BUSD student.
BAEF was founded based upon the following truths identified in Burbank:
Presence of devastating budget crisis.
Students need support now more than ever. Like many school districts in California, BUSD faces a devastating budget crisis. Important programs and services that students need will likely suffer from lost or reduced funding. The loss may be particularly destabilizing for our most vulnerable students, whose families rely on these public-provided services.
Need for powerful student support.
BAEF aims to maximize our impact through more strategic fundraising efforts. The new foundation will continue to support innovation and excellence in schools, including arts education, STEM programs, student safety, wellness and other needs within BUSD.
Our goal is to provide students with the necessary building blocks to achieve academic and personal success. We empower them with 21st century skills that can be applied to any career path, and offer crucial assistance to facilitate learning. By investing in students, we not only create more opportunities for them, we reinforce Burbank’s reputation as a thriving community dedicated to the well-being of its residents.
Past education foundation success in Burbank.
Before BAEF existed, there were two education foundation in Burbank, Burbank Arts for All (BAFA) and the Burbank Educational Foundation (BEF). Both foundations possess an impressive history of positively impacting and providing support to BUSD students through their robust grant-giving, advocacy, programming and community engagement programs.
The work we do at BAEF is important, yet HOW we deliver on our mission is of equal importance to us. We allow several values to guide our work.
Equity – We believe that EVERY child deserves a high-quality public education.
Diversity – We believe that diversity of representation, thought, and community is critical to the success of our work.
Inclusion – We believe in creating safe and welcoming environments to all.
Accessibility – We believe in accessibility to meet the needs of all members of the BUSD community.
Collaboration – We believe in a shared sense of responsibility to invest in the future of public education in Burbank.
Innovation – We believe that innovation contributes to the creative economy of the City of Burbank. We believe that creative solutions are required to address the current educational needs.