April 2026 Update
Speaker Series Returns
Experts will help you support your students
The Olympia Education Foundation is sponsoring three no-cost events this month to help families, caregivers and school staff support the social-emotional needs and well-being of their students.
Emily McMason: Anxiety & Media -- 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at McLane Elementary School. Child care provided.
Dr. Bre Haizlip: Mental Health Is Generational Wealth -- 6 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at L.P. Brown Elementary. Food and child care provided.
Emily McMason: Screens -- 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, at Washington Middle School. (No food or child care.)
We are proud to offer these events for free to anyone in the Olympia School District as part of our Student & Community Well-Being efforts. Your student does not need to attend the school that is hosting the event.
We Expect This Show to Sell Out!
OSD staff eligible for a discount on tickets!
Don't wait any longer! Comedian Gabriel Rutledge will be performing a show this Saturday to benefit the Olympia Education Foundation and all of work to cultivate student potential. Tickets are going quickly!
Rutledge will take the stage at the historic Capitol Theater in downtown Olympia on Saturday, April 18. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the show will begin at 7 p.m.
A past winner of both the Seattle International Comedy Competition and The Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta, Rutledge has made numerous television appearances, including Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, Nickelodeon's Nickmom Night Out, Laughs on FOX, and Inside Joke streaming on Amazon Prime Video. His Dry Bar Comedy special "A Third of the Room," as well as his YouTube special "Nectarine," have garnered millions of views online.
He is also the author of the book "Happiness Isn't Funny: True Stories of a Road Comic."Additionally, Rutledge and his family have roots in Olympia and the Olympia School District.
Olympia School District employees and Olympia Film Society members are eligible for a discount on tickets!
VIP tickets are sold out!
Opportunity Grants for 26-27 School Year Open Next Week
Madison Elementary School utilized Opportunity Grants funding during the current school year to help support thirty-three students who were struggling to receive the individualized support they needed to become successful readers. "Having Washington Reading Corps members here to partner with Madison’s reading intervention teacher more than doubled the number of students who were able to receive this additional support," according to grant recipient Lisa Estcort. "So many students grew as readers. They became more fluent readers, more skilled at decoding words, more skilled at comprehending what they read. They grew in confidence, feeling better about themselves as readers. Having Washington Reading Corps members at Madison also supported the social/emotional needs of students and helped provide equity."
Apply for funds starting April 20
Olympia School District staff who work directly with students may begin applying for Opportunity Grants for the 2026-2027 school year on Monday, April 20.
Applicants may seek up to $2,000 for projects and experiences that enhance student learning, close opportunity gaps, and meet needs that the district and individual school buildings don't have funding for. Thanks to a partnership with Browsers Bookshop, there are also $500 grants available for the purpose of establishing or expanding classroom and school libraries.
For convenience, applicants will all use the same application this year.
Subject to available funds, there will be two application periods. This year the timelines for those are:
Period 1: Opens Monday, April 20; closes at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 18. Applicants will be notified of the status of their request by Friday, Aug. 14. Funds will be made available by the first full week of September.
Period 2: Opens Monday, Aug. 24; closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. Applicants will be notified of the status of their request by Friday, Nov. 13. Funds will be made available by the first full week of December.
Please review our Grants Guidelines prior to applying. Applicants will also need a principal's or supervisor's approval prior to submitting a request.
Team/Individual Player Registration Now Open!
This year's scramble set for Sept. 19!
Join us Saturday, Sept. 19, at Capitol City Golf Club for a day of fun in support of the Principal's Emergency Fund -- and all of our work to cultivate student potential. This is a date change from the previous two years when the tournament was held in July.
Another new component this year: Firecreek Ale House is organizing the tournament for us. And all proceeds will still go directly to us! We are beyond grateful for their support.
Team and individual player registration is now open. And good news: We've lowered the cost to play this year: $480 for a team of 4 or $120 for an individual. To register, use the button below, then choose "View Available Tickets."
Sponsorships are also available.
Sponsor Spotlight
Thank you to Guild Mortgage-The Lacey Team and the CoHo Team of Windermere Agents for stepping up to sponsor our first-ever event with comedian Gabriel Rutledge, set for Saturday, April 18, at downtown Olympia's historic Capitol Theater. Their support means even more of the funds raised from this benefit show will go directly to the Foundation -- and our mission to cultivate student potential. Tickets are going fast! See details above to learn how you can help make this event a success.