Since 1984 · Richardson, Texas
Connecting our community and schools.
We link the passion, time, talent, and expertise of our neighbors with the needs of Richardson ISD's students, teachers, and staff, moving every one of them closer to the district's North Star.
Each light is 100 RISD students. Each gold light is 100 staff. Move through the sky to connect them.
Concept byMedia Visionary
More than $8.8 million raised for RISD since 1984
Nearly 37,000 students across the district
5,700 teachers and staff
Third oldest education foundation in Texas
Our mission
Investing where it matters most, we accelerate student achievement and fuel educator innovation to create lasting opportunity across Richardson ISD.
A science lesson that turned into a pep rally.
Ride along to Jess Harben Elementary, where a creative teacher used a Foundation grant to turn Forces & Motion into an all-out pep rally. Hands-on learning, real curiosity, and a whole lot of smiles, made possible by donors like you.
Fund the next oneWhat we fund for students
From first book to first career.
Slide through a Richardson ISD student's journey to see where Foundation programs show up along the way.
What we fund for teachers & staff
Bold ideas deserve backing.
We fund educator innovation and celebrate the people who make RISD work, from first-year teachers to bus drivers and campus nurses.
9 staff awards we help fund and present each year, from Nurse of the Year to the Red Apple New Teacher Award.
2026 TI Foundation Innovations in STEM Teaching Award
Coach Behrman turned a campus garden into a hands-on STEM lab. Pre-K through fifth graders explore plant life cycles, soil chemistry, engineering, and nutrition, on a Title I campus in a food desert.
Each award is worth $20,000. The TI Foundation is investing $40,000 in RISD educators this year.
Help create the next opportunity
Help the next classroom idea take root.
This award comes from the TI Foundation. Gifts from our community fund the Foundation's grants that help RISD teachers turn their own ideas into hands-on learning, all year long.
Opens the Foundation's secure giving form, where you choose what your gift supports.
Ruby GEM
GEMs · Gives Every Month
Unearth a hidden gem.
GEMs is our monthly giving circle. Every gift funds grants for RISD teachers and staff: bold classroom projects and professional development that drive student growth. 100% of your gift supports education.
Your year as a GEM
$180 a year, every dollar to RISD classrooms
Monthly gifts are made through the Foundation's secure giving form. See member benefits · Meet our GEMs
Get involved
Everyone has something to give.
Answer two quick questions and we'll point you to the way that fits.
Have fun. Fund the future.
Sponsor an eventPartnership grants
When our community comes together, doors open.
Partnership Grants turn corporate and community generosity into lasting programs, focused on four priorities. Pick one to see the programs it funds.
See funded initiativesThank you to our Premier Patrons, who give $25,000 or more in a single year
All our supportersNews from the classroom.
All stories
Independent, reviewed, and open book.
- Platinum Transparency Seal from Candid for 2026
- Independent 501(c)(3) with a volunteer board
- Reviewed every year by an independent audit firm
Empowering every student takes all of us.
Every contribution, big or small, funds classroom grants, innovative programs, and opportunities that go beyond the basics.