New report highlights $900K+ in immediate basic-needs support, a growing pipeline of diverse educators, and community investments across Seattle Public Schools
In a year marked by leadership transitions and uncertainty across Seattle, the Alliance for Education invested in both the immediate needs of students and the long-term strength of Seattle Public Schools (SPS). The Alliance’s newly released 2025 annual report highlights $900K+ distributed to students and families for essential needs, 74% of Seattle Teacher Residency graduates remaining in SPS classrooms for more than three years, and $93K in grants awarded to 13 principals and teachers. This year’s impact is just part of the more than $209 million raised and invested in Seattle students, families and educators since 1995.
Seattle Public Schools is the largest district in Washington with an enrollment of 48,957 students and 6,404 school-based staff. The district continually ranks high when compared nationally to urban, public districts and boasts over 500 National Board Certified educators and more than half of enrolled students identifying as Black, Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC).
“The Alliance for Education helps connect the broader community with Seattle Public Schools. When businesses, philanthropists, and community leaders show up alongside educators and families, it can open up more opportunities for students,” says Gina Topp, Seattle School Board President. “It takes all of us to educate the next generation, and at its core, education is about access to opportunity. I appreciate the role the Alliance plays in helping bring those connections together and supporting this work across our community.”
Across Seattle Public Schools, the Alliance continues to show up in both immediate and long-term ways throughout the year:
- From the Right Now Needs Fund, students and their families accessed shelter, food, clothing, and other essential needs 12,839 times, with $900K+ distributed to provide the stability students need to focus on learning.
- Through the Seattle Teacher Residency, students learn from diverse, well-prepared educators committed to their success, with 74% of graduates serving more than three years in SPS classrooms and graduates teaching in 87% of Seattle Title I schools, impacting thousands of students each year.
- The Alliance also joined the community in championing renewal of the city’s Families, Education, Preschool & Promise (FEPP) Levy; co-hosted the Seattle Education Candidate Forum for 150 voters at Rainier Beach High School; and awarded $93K in grants to 13 principals and teachers.
Founded in 1995, the Alliance for Education brings together community and philanthropic partners to strengthen public education in Seattle. For more than 30 years, the Alliance has helped connect resources and relationships with the needs of Seattle Public Schools, raising and investing more than $209 million to support students, families and educators across the district.
“2025 was a year of transition for the Alliance, for our city and across our nation. Yet through a challenging year, our community came together to support one another, invest in our schools and create meaningful opportunities for students. The moral arc of the universe bends toward justice, and Seattle is driving meaningful progress toward a more just future for our youth,” says Yonas Fikak, Vice President of Impact at the Alliance for Education. “This work is possible because our community continues to move forward together and remain focused on what matters most: ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive.”
View the full 2025 annual report to learn more about the Alliance for Education’s initiatives and investments.
About the Alliance for Education
The Alliance for Education has worked in partnership with Seattle Public Schools as the local education fund to address crucial challenges facing students, families and educators since 1995. Our mission is to support excellence in education by advancing educational justice and racial equity for students in Seattle Public Schools. Our work is collaborative as we seek to address systemic inequities in public schools and create a more equitable and just education system that allows all Seattle students to thrive.