Foundation @ FCOE

History and Activities

The Foundation @ FCOE is the philanthropic arm of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools in Fresno, California. Founded in 2009, the Foundation @ FCOE is a nonprofit that provides academic programming focused on health, equity, academics, agriculture, the arts, athletics, and closing the educational achievement gap among students. ^{1  2}

The Foundation @ FCOE claims to have raised over $1.6 million in the 2023 to 2024 school year to support student programs. The foundation also offers grants to schools and school districts within Fresno County to support programs such as student band, arts programming, and outdoor activities.  ^{7  8}

Other initiatives and sponsored projects of the Foundation @ FCOE include the Orange Genter Multicultural Arts Program focused on cultural awareness and inclusivity and designed to “celebrate the beauty of diversity” in “an increasingly global society,” the Special Olympics, a cooking education program, an academic decathlon, and the Developing Future Engineers and Innovators program. ^{3  4}

The Foundation @ FCOE also provides scholarships to public high school seniors going into college, technical schools, or pursuing other post-secondary educational and career opportunities. ⁹

Additionally, the Foundation @ FCOE distributes the Marvin Meyers Agricultural Grant to support educational programs focused on the importance of water and wildlife in the Central Valley in California. ¹⁰

Leadership

As of January 2026, the president of the board of directors of the Foundation @ FCOE was Debbie Jacobsen. At the time, Jacobsen was the owner and operator of J&L Vineyards, a 640-acre raisin and wine-grape farm near Fresno, California. She was previously the president of the Fresno Farm Bureau. ^{11  12}

As of 2026, the vice president of the board of directors was Al Galvez, a retired public affairs manager for PG&E, a utility service provider in California.  ^{11  13}

As of 2026, the treasurer of the board of directors was NeFesha Ruth Yisra’el, the founder and CEO of Black Folk Art, an arts advocacy organization. ^{11   14}

As of 2026, the executive director of the Foundation @ FCOE was MaryEllen Galvan. As of January 2026, Galvan had worked for the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools for 27 years as an eligibility technician, staff secretary, administrative assistant, program specialist, and program coordinator. ^{5  6}

Financials

According to tax filings, in 2023 the Foundation @ FCOE reported $1,601,792 in revenue, $1,640,101 in expenses, and $1,578,680 in assets. Of its expenses, the Foundation @ FCOE spent $1,349,501 on projects designed to improve educational outcomes for students in Fresno County. Of its income, the Foundation @ FCOE reported receiving $1,412,815 from gifts, grants, and other contributions and $45,240 from fundraising events. ¹⁵

Organizations that have given over $100,000 to the Foundation @ FCOE include California State University, Fresno; CalViva Health; Central Valley Community Foundation; Chevron; the David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Educational Employees Credit Union; the Fresno Bee; Fresno Unified School District; Kaiser Permanente; PG&E; the James Irvine Foundation; the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation; the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; and Wells Fargo Bank. ¹⁶

Organizations that have given between $50,000 and $99,999 to the Foundation @ FCOE include AIMS Education Foundation, Bonner Family Foundation, Fresno Pacific University, Heising-Simons Foundation, Palmer Family Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Stuart Foundation. ¹⁶