Chamber Insider Blog

Thank you to the Loudoun Education Foundation (LEF) for sharing your story with us. Congratulations on being a finalist for the 30th Annual Loudoun Small Business Awards! View all finalists here and event info here.

Tell us the story of your business/nonprofit and how it’s evolved.

We have experienced incredible growth at the Loudoun Education Foundation, thanks in large part to the local business community. LEF started as an independent nonprofit organization in 1991 and, for many years, raised a few hundred thousand dollars annually to provide classroom grants and scholarships. About seven years ago, the foundation leadership broadened its scope to invite businesses large and small to partner with the public schools to not only support individual classrooms here and there but to enrich curriculum district-wide and create strategic career pathways for students.

Since that shift, LEF raises more than $3 million annually to support programming in all 100 of Loudoun County’s public schools. A recent example of LEF’s efforts to invite businesses to give of their time, talent, and treasure is our role in the creation of the new Health and Medical Sciences (HAMSci) Academy. LEF hosted round table events that invited health and medical industry leaders to work alongside LCPS educators to create curriculum and credentialing opportunities that are connecting student interest to workforce needs. The result of this school-business partnership was the opening of the new HAMSci Academy years earlier than would otherwise be possible.

What are you most proud of when it comes to your team?

The joke among those on the LEF team is that, very often, our daily tasks fall under the category of “other duties as assigned.” I love that each LEF staff member puts the team ahead of their own personal or career wins. This can mean that the foundation leadership, including board members, are away from their desks to work a pallet jack or deliver food for one of LEF’s in-school pantry. During budget season, we tap into our Director of Development’s degree in accounting. When we need an event brochure, our Fueled Coordinator takes time away from her typical job duties to put her MFA in design to work. Others on the team have experience teaching or in media and marketing, and each is willing to bring their diverse background and skillset to the table to power LEF’s mission.

In what ways do you give back to the Loudoun community?

LEF exists to give back. Specifically, LEF works to provide students and educators with the tools they need to reach their full potential. For example, our PROPEL and Level Up programs invite elementary and middle school students from populations under-represented in the STEM field to take part in a fun, challenging after-school program. These programs equip 400-plus students each year with the confidence to take on rigorous coursework in high school and beyond.

Another example is our Fueled program, which serves more than 2,000 students and their families each week through meal bags and in-school pantries. We work closely with each school’s family liaison to ensure that the food is culturally appropriate and provided in a dignified way, i.e. each family can “shop” for the food of their choice in the Fueled in-school pantries.

The LEF team believes that quality public schools create a healthy, local economy. We’re thankful that hundreds of local businesses agree and partner with LEF and the public school system to give of their time, talent, and treasure.

What would it mean to you and your business to win a Small Business Award?

Honestly, it is truly an honor to see the Loudoun Education Foundation as a finalist for Nonprofit of the Year. It serves as a kudos for the hard work and countless hours our team has put in over the past three years to expand LEF’s impact. It also serves as encouragement to keep forging new partnerships to make a larger impact on the county’s youngest residents.

Learn more about LEF on their website!