1. What is this Appreciation Gift?

Spark SF Public Schools, the official public foundation of the San Francisco Unified School District, is facilitating a gift from an anonymous San Francisco resident to provide a $250 digital Visa gift card to SFUSD classroom educators and paraeducators as a gesture of appreciation for their work with students.

2. Who is Spark SF Public Schools

Spark SF Public Schools is the official public foundation for the San Francisco Unified School District. Spark mobilizes philanthropic and community investment in San Francisco’s public education system. We bring together philanthropy, business, SFUSD, and our community to ensure all 50,000 SFUSD students have access to an excellent and equitable public education.

Since our founding in 2015, Spark has raised and directed more than $154 million in private support to advance excellence in teaching and learning, uplift equity, and build whole-child wellness and belonging across our school system.

In recent years, Spark has invested in expanded teacher support and professional development for SFUSD’s district-wide literacy and math curriculum adoptions, and helped to fund SFUSD’s Teacher Pathway program, which supported aspiring educators in earning their certification with a focus on teachers of color in order to build a strong and diverse teacher community in SFUSD. Spark has also supported Professional Learning Communities across the district’s middle schools to promote teacher collaboration and deeper learning experiences for students.

You can learn more on our website: sparksfpublicschools.org

For stories about the SFUSD initiatives we support, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

3. Who is eligible to receive the gift?

The gift is directed to certificated teachers and paraeducators.  This reflects the donor’s intent to recognize those who spend the most time supporting students directly in classrooms.

4. Who is the donor?

The donor is a San Francisco resident.  In keeping with the donor’s wishes, they would like to remain anonymous.

3. Why are other staff not included?

The donor made a specific choice to focus on classroom educators and paraeducators.We also recognize—and deeply value—that it takes an entire school team to support students. This is one donor-directed gesture, not a reflection of the value of different roles within a school community.

4. Is this taxable income?

This gift may be considered taxable income. We recommend consulting a tax professional or advisor to understand how it may apply to your individual situation. Please note: Spark SF Public Schools is not able to provide tax advice.

5. Is this an SFUSD initiative?

No. This is a Spark-facilitated philanthropic effort, funded by a San Francisco resident to express their appreciation for educators. It is not a district-run program.

6. How will staff receive the gift?

Two advance notification emails will be sent to eligible classroom educators and paraeducators on April 9 and April 14.

On April 16, recipients will receive their digital gift card via Tremendous (a secure, widely used platform to deliver gift cards).  To learn more about Tremendous, please visit their website at: https://www.tremendous.com/.

7. What do I need to do to claim my gift?

On April 16, recipients will follow the instructions in the email from Ginny Fang (funddevelopment@sfusd.edu), to access their digital gift card.  

If there are questions about Tremendous and the digital gift card, please visit the Tremendous Recipient Help Center or reach out to: help@tremendous.com.  

8. Who do I go to with questions about redeeming my gift?

For technical questions about the gift link or digital gift card platform, please visit the Tremendous Recipient Help Center or reach out to: help@tremendous.com.  

For general questions about the gift:Please review this FAQ first, as it addresses the most common questions.

In keeping with the donor’s wishes to remain anonymous—so that the focus stays on appreciation for educators—we are not able to share additional details about the donor.

If you still have questions or would like to share a comment, please submit them in writing via this form. 

As Spark SF Public Schools has a small team, we appreciate your patience as we respond. This gift is being distributed to approximately 6,000 SFUSD educators and staff, and we have created this FAQ and form to help address questions as quickly as possible.

To learn more about Spark, please visit our website: sparksfpublicschools.org or sign up for our newsletter.

For media inquiries, please contact:  Andres Power @apower@west-advisors.com

9. Is there any cost to SFUSD?

No. This gift is fully funded by an anonymous donor and facilitated by Spark.

10. Are there any fees or charges associated with redeeming the gift?

No. This gift is fully funded by an anonymous donor and facilitated by Spark.

This gift may be considered taxable income. We recommend consulting a tax professional or advisor to understand how it may apply to your individual situation. Please note: Spark SF Public Schools is not able to provide tax advice

11. Will there be public communication about this?

Yes. To ensure there is clear and accurate information about this gift, and to inspire continued investment in our educators and schools, Spark SF Public Schools has partnered with the media to share this story of generosity.

Please see today’s article in: [insert outlet]

12. How do I learn more about Spark SF Public Schools?

Spark SF Public Schools is the official public foundation for the San Francisco Unified School District.Spark mobilizes philanthropic and community investment in San Francisco’s public education system. We bring together philanthropy, business, SFUSD, and our community to ensure all 50,000 SFUSD students have access to an excellent and equitable public education.

To learn more, please visit our website or check out our FY2025 Annual Report.

You can also subscribe to our newsletter where we highlight the various SFUSD initiatives that we fund, and you can follow us on social media.  

LinkedIn * Facebook * Instagram

We hope to cross paths with you in our work to champion great public schools for every child in San Francisco!