About Us
The South Bend Education Alliance supports the whole student by funding classroom innovation, hands-on learning, and opportunities beyond the school day. We help ensure every student in the South Bend Community School Corporation can access enriching activities, gain real-world skills, and feel connected to their school and community—while also giving teachers the resources they need to create strong learning environments.
We support all schools with South Bend Community School Corporation.
OUR FUNDING
The SBEA raises funds to support South Bend public schools through a wide range of projects—providing resources for teachers and administrators, supporting extracurriculars and field trips, offering student scholarships, and partnering on community events that enrich learning.
How We Help
Through fundraising and donations, we are able to financially support students in the South Bend Community School Corporation through three main avenues.
1
Grants & Sponsorships
Co-curricular and Extracurricular activities provide support for athletic teams, drama and fine arts clubs, academic competitions, field trips and more.
2
Scholarships
College scholarships are available for SBCSC graduating seniors.
3
Fundraiser Events
We support programs and scholarships for students in the SBCSC through several signature fundraising events.
Our History
The South Bend Education Alliance builds on decades of community commitment to public education, shaped by two organizations with distinct but complementary missions: the South Bend Education Foundation and the South Bend Alumni Association.
The South Bend Education Foundation traces its roots to a community-wide strategic planning effort led by Superintendent Dr. Virginia Calvin in the early 1990s, which revealed that state funding alone could never meet all the needs of South Bend’s public schools. In response, community leaders—including Dr. James Wilson, Mendel Piser, and Margaret King—founded the Public Education Foundation in 1995 to expand educational opportunities, support teachers, and enrich learning experiences. Over nearly three decades, the Foundation invested millions in classroom innovation, teacher grants, and academic programming across the district.
The South Bend Alumni Association began earlier, in 1985, as the South Bend School Boosters—an advocacy effort formed by Louis Baker to save School Field stadium from demolition. After achieving its initial goal, the group broadened its mission to support education districtwide and reorganized as a nonprofit. To reflect a wider focus beyond athletics, the organization transitioned into the Alumni Association in 1989 and later merged with the Boosters in 1994. In the years that followed, SBAA grew into a leading supporter of co-curricular and extracurricular activities, sponsoring field trips, scholarships, team support, school partnerships, and student-centered community events.
In 2025, these two organizations united to form the South Bend Education Alliance—a single, stronger partner dedicated to supporting the whole student and the educators who serve them. Today, the Alliance continues this shared legacy by funding classroom resources, enrichment programs, extracurricular activities, field trips, scholarships, and community partnerships that strengthen public education in South Bend.
South Bend Alumni Association Annual Reports:
