GREENFIELD — Although school districts often work to stretch their budgets as far as they can, they can’t always meet every classroom need or support non-essential, but still beneficial, expenses for students.
That’s why, for the past 16 years, the Greenfield Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has been raising money to support teacher requests for classroom supplies and field trips.
“It was founded by a group of citizens and businesses in town who wanted a way to help the schools financially,” said Lukas Martin, a member of the Greenfield Education Foundation’s board of directors and a history teacher at Greenfield High School. “The foundation was a way for people to help donate directly to classmates and supplement the [education] budget from the city.”
Philanthropist Robert “Robbie” Cohn established the foundation in 2010, Martin said. While Cohn has since retired from the board of directors, the foundation has continued its mission of supporting the schools.
“We’ve funded things like uniforms for the band and equipment for the woodshop,” Martin noted. “The important thing is they’re all requests from teachers for things that didn’t fit in the budget or came up after the budget was finalized.”
“We’ve supported musical instruments in all grades, we’ve paid for field trips, we’ve put a playground in … we help teachers when their classrooms have needs,” added fellow board member Deb Klein.
Cohn said he started the foundation at the request of then-Mayor William Martin as a way to ensure Greenfield’s students had the best educational opportunities possible.
“The then-mayor called me and said, ‘I know you’ve been thinking about starting a foundation to support the schools and I want you to do it,'” Cohn recalled. “So I put together a board of directors and we started this foundation with a mission exclusively to support every student in Greenfield.”
Cohn said that during his time on the board, the foundation raised about $40,000 to $50,000 per year. Musical instruments were among the purchases he was proudest to support.
“We all thought music was an integral part of the educational process,” Cohn said. “We want these kids to have the best, well-rounded education.”
Klein explained that the foundation has a form that teachers can fill out to request funding, which is then reviewed by the school principal and district administration. If the school budget can’t accommodate the request, they pass it along to the foundation, which meets about once a month from September to June.
“Once the school has endorsed that it’s a need, it comes to our board and we decide if we can afford it,” Klein said.
Klein said the Greenfield Education Foundation is run entirely by volunteers and has no administrative expenses, so all donations go directly to supporting the schools.
“The great thing about GEF funding is 100% of it goes to Greenfield teachers and classrooms,” Martin said. “Your money’s not going to pay the electric bill or to pay for an administrator — it’s going directly to classrooms.”
Klein said January and February are typically the board’s busiest months. Being further into the school year, more unexpected expenses that were not budgeted for can pop up.
Martin said most requests are approved either in full or partially, and board members, many of whom are alumni of Greenfield’s public schools themselves, love seeing teachers upgrade their materials and create new opportunities for students.
Klein has served on the foundation’s board for more than 10 years, and seeing how her fundraising efforts improve a student’s experience keeps her motivated. She added that thank-you notes sometimes sent by students make her feel the work matters.
“That’s what makes it worth it,” she said.
Klein said each year she sends letters to prospective donors and visits businesses to ask them to consider supporting the foundation. The foundation has never run a large public fundraising campaign, but now, 16 years in, board members felt it was time to introduce themselves to the public and seek support for the schools.
“It’s time to really let people know that we exist and what we’re doing for our kids,” Klein said.
The more money the foundation can raise, the more requests it can fund. For the 2026-27 school year, the organization is hoping to raise at least $40,000.
“We’re not a big agency. If we can raise $40,000, that would be great,” Klein said. “More is always better.”
In a statement, the Greenfield Superintendent Carol Kruser said she appreciates the foundation’s work supporting the city’s classrooms for so many years.
“Greenfield Public Schools cherish and appreciate our partnership with the Greenfield Education Foundation,” Kruser said, congratulating the nonprofit on reaching 16 years of supporting Greenfield students. “Their commitment to our students and staff is strong and we hope our collaboration continues.”
Cohn said he’s “thrilled” that the foundation has endured for 16 years, and he hopes it will continue its mission for many more.
“It’s always going to be a necessity, and there’s always going to be a need,” Cohn said. “I’m really proud of what the Greenfield Education Foundation did and continues to do.”
Those who are interested in donating can mail a check to the Greenfield Education Foundation at P.O. Box 722, Greenfield, MA 01302.
