Supply, Demand, and the Power of Compounding February 25, 2026Rachel Elginsmith Chief Executive Officer at The BASIC Fund BASIC Fund application season has begun, and demand for scholarships continues to increase—our application total is up 12% from 2025, which saw a 9% increase from 2024. As more parents seek out new educational opportunities for their […]
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Transformational Generosity: How One Extraordinary Gift Changed Everything April 17, 2025Rachel Elginsmith Chief Executive Officer at The BASIC Fund What’s one moment that transformed the course of your life—or your work? In 2019, a donor reached out to us with an idea that would change the trajectory of The BASIC Fund forever: he wanted to
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A New Opportunity February 10, 2025Rachel Elginsmith Chief Executive Officer at The BASIC Fund With the dizzying moves in Washington and a case in the Supreme Court examining the constitutionality of religious charter schools on the horizon, not to mention the recent disappointing (“heartbreaking”) NAEP scores showing the further decline of our nation’s performance in
In Support of Early Learning October 31, 2024Rachel Elginsmith Chief Executive Officer at The BASIC Fund In August, the California senate struck down a bill requiring students to attend a full year of Kindergarten, citing the rising costs of education. While state budgets need to be considered, this decision doesn’t reflect the necessity of early
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Equal Opportunities Matter August 21, 2024Rachel Elginsmith Chief Executive Officer at The BASIC Fund How does a family of four survive on $40,000 a year in the Bay Area? Every day is a new and difficult decision: food or diapers? Electricity or water? New research from SmartAsset caught my eye this week. According to the
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A Little Goes a Long Way May 31, 2024Rachel Elginsmith Chief Executive Officer at The BASIC Fund What would you do with an extra $2750 today? For some people, it’s a new computer or a shopping spree. For others, it means an extra month of rent and utilities, or school tuition for a year. Recently,
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Investing in early learning is key to every child’s future success. April 29, 2024Rachel Elginsmith Chief Executive Officer at The BASIC Fund What was your first word? Most of us can’t remember, but our parents might. By talking and reading to children, we teach them to communicate, a little bit at a time. But what
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Supporting Choices in Enrollment March 28, 2024Rachel Elginsmith Chief Executive Officer at The BASIC Fund Earlier this month Oakland Unified School District emailed families their offers of enrollment and, according to historical data, up to a third of Oakland families will leave the district in search of a better option. In advance of the offers,
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The BASIC Fund is a privately funded 501(c)3 scholarship-granting organization whose mission is to advance education equity for low-income families by helping offset the cost of tuition at private schools in the Bay Area.
