Ever wish you could multiply your gift to HPSF? There is a way – employer matching contributions. Thousands of companies have Matching Gift programs which double, or even triple individual, tax-deductible contributions made by their employees. Ask your personnel office about your company's Matching Gift program.

Or challenge your employer to work with us to impact education. Consider the Ford way:

The Ford Way

In 2004, on behalf of HPSF, John Fox quietly applied for a grant through his employer, Ford Motor Company. Not only did John's grant request result in a gift of $5,000, but from 2004 through 2008 the Ford Motor Company has donated nearly $25,000 to the Hastings Public Schools Foundation. With these grants, Ford has partnered with the Foundation to fund "What If..." grants, some of which include:

• Equipping the Hastings High School Global Languages Department with two ceiling mounted LCD projectors.
• Integrating the technology of a SMART board in to the first grade classrooms at Pinecrest School. SMART Boards have proven to be a successful learning tool. They spark interest, provides interactive learning experiences and help children stay focused on the learning tasks at hand.
• Funding the "Talking Suitcases" curriculum/project. The purpose was to help students have a better understanding of what it feels like to be an immigrant arriving in Minnesota today.
• Allowing 11th and 12th grade students to participate in the restoration of Sand Coulee, a rare type of dry prairie that has survived since the early 1800s just southeast out of Hastings. The students had the chance to learn about prairie ecology, invasive species and how to restore native prairie plants.
• Purchasing incubation kits to allow an educator to the egg hatching process with his 5th grade students. The program included math, science, spelling, writing and the mysteries of birth.

If you and your employer have an idea on how to partner with the Foundation to impact education, please contact us.