Kiddo! is the primary fundraising organization for the Mill Valley School District. Founded in 1982 as the Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation, Kiddo! is an independent, non-profit, public-benefit corporation that has raised more than $50 million for Mill Valley’s six K-8 public schools. Kiddo!’s mission is focused on preserving arts education programming in Mill Valley schools. In collaboration with the school district, Kiddo! also supports other vital programs that benefit all students, including innovative teaching programs.

Kiddo! was founded in response to the passage of Proposition 13, which drastically reduced property taxes and, correspondingly, public school funding. As a result, numerous vital programs would simply not be available to Mill Valley public school students without the annual contributions of our district families and community.

The vast majority of Kiddo!'s program expenses pay for teachers' salaries and benefits, as well as specialists and visiting artists. Kiddo! provides the funds required for these district needs:

• Art teachers and materials (grades TK-8)

• Music teachers and materials, including general music, chorus, and instrumental music (grades TK-8)

• Dance specialists (grades TK, K, 4 & 5)

• Curriculum-integrated Drama Programs (grades 2 & 4-8)

• Poetry specialists (grades 1 & 3-6)

• Teacher Grants for innovative teaching programs (all schools)

If Kiddo! does not meet its annual fundraising goal, the Mill Valley School District may have to reduce or eliminate art, music, and other Kiddo!-funded programs in current or future years, as there are no other sources for funding these programs. It is only thanks to your support that these essential programs and services continue to be provided for each of our students.

Kiddo! makes an annual commitment to the Mill Valley School District to fund these essential programs and services. Kiddo! asks district families to contribute each year to Kiddo!’s Annual Campaign to raise funds to meet these commitments. In fact, more than 80% of our annual fundraising comes directly from MVSD families To fund all existing Kiddo! programs in the current school year, the request per student is $1,450. Please give as generously as you can. Every amount helps! Our goal is to have 100% family participation and we appreciate donations of all sizes. In recent years, donations have ranged in size from $25 to $25,000.

Absolutely. Gifts of any size are welcome and appreciated. Every dollar truly helps make a difference. Our goal is for 100% of district families to participate at whatever financial level is comfortable for them.

Kiddo!’s Annual Campaign kicks off in August to raise funds for the school year. In order to ensure we can meet our financial commitment to MVSD, we aim to conclude our annual campaign by December 31. However, donations are welcome at anytime.

Making a donation is easy!

• Donate online; or

• Mail payments to the Kiddo! office; or

• You can create a monthly payment plan online.

This is a great way to make the most of your gift to Kiddo!

Many employers offering matching gift programs to match charitable contributions made by their employees. Gifts from employees’ spouses and retirees may also be eligible.

For more information on how to match a gift and to see if your employer offers matching, visit our Company Matching page.

With thousands of households in the Mill Valley School District, we need to reach out several times throughout the year. This means we sometimes communicate to families who have already donated. Please know that our goal is simply to ensure that we get enough family involvement and support to fund the programs that are so valuable to each child’s education.

Yes! Many people spread payments out over time. You can sign up for an automatic credit card payment or checking account withdrawal each month. Create a payment plan online or call the Kiddo! office at 415-389-7789. Start the payment plan process here.

In addition to your annual donation, there are a number of other ways to help support Kiddo!:

• Earn money for Kiddo! while you shop. Some merchants will automatically donate to Kiddo! while you shop. Learn what merchants to visit and how to sign up for shopping rebate programs.

• Volunteer to join the Kiddo! Spring Gala Committee. The Kiddo! Spring Gala is held every other year. Next one is 3/25/24. Note: Some of the proceeds from the Gala benefit the Kiddo! Endowment for the Arts, but may be used to fund teachers and programs if Annual Campaign goals are not met in a given year. Email us at info@kiddo.org to learn more.

• Volunteer for some of our other events. Kiddo! relies on many volunteers for our success. Make new friends and have fun while doing something vitally important for our schools! Learn about opportunities.

The District, PTAs, and Kiddo! work together to help deliver a well-rounded education at every school.

Each school's Parent Teacher Association (PTA) raises money for school-specific enhancements to enrich students educational experience, parent education, and parent community events at that school.

Kiddo! helps the district by providing the funding for arts education and academic programs equitably across the District. The funding that Kiddo! provides is primarily used by the district to pay the salaries of its teachers and specialists for district-wide programs, including art, music, curriculum-integrated drama, dance, and poetry. Kiddo! also funds innovative teacher grants throughout the district every year.

Please support both organizations, as both provide vital programs and services at your school.

The Mill Valley School Board and District administration determine the curriculum for the District, establish priorities for program development, and identify crucial District needs. Kiddo! then collaborates with the District to provide funding where needed to execute the Board-approved plan. All programs and services funded by Kiddo! are developed and managed by the District, and all teachers and staff are employees or contractors of the District. Click here to learn more about the Mill Valley School District.

Call Kiddo! (415) 389-7789, email us info@kiddo.org.