How LAUSD Education Foundation Launched a $2M Emergency Aid Program in less than 14 Days

A replicable model for school foundations and nonprofits supporting families in crisis

“Launching a program like Emergency Student Relief felt like a huge lift, but FORWARD helped us go from concept to a live application in under two weeks. Their team jumped in early to help us strategize, design and implement an accessible and trauma-informed program to support families navigating recovery after the Los Angeles wildfires.”

Sadie Jefferson, PhD, Executive Director, LAUSD Education Foundation

The Challenge

When wildfires displaced families across Los Angeles, the LAUSD Education Foundation acted immediately to keep student families stable at home and in the classroom. But like many foundations, they faced two major hurdles:

• Limited staff capacity – Their small team did not have the capacity to do application reviews, eligibility checks, and payment processing at scale.

• Safe, low-barrier design – FORWARD built a secure, accessible program that met students and families where they were in recovery, removing barriers through multilingual access, mobile-friendly tools, and trusted community partnerships.

For foundations and nonprofits, this scenario is familiar: urgent community need, but limited operational bandwidth. 

How FORWARD Helped

LAUSD Education Foundation partnered with FORWARD to design and deliver an emergency relief program that worked for student families that were in a state of emergency and foundation administrators  alike. As both a strategic  partner and implementation partner, FORWARD ensured the program was fast, inclusive, and transparent.

What We Brought to the Table

• Program and Application Design  – Collaborated with the Foundation to design program eligibility criteria and workflows that ensured a low-barrier experience and fast funding distribution for applicants

• Low-Barrier, Inclusive Applications – Multilingual, user-friendly forms opened access for high non-English-speaking households.

• Streamlined Administration – Intake, eligibility, applicant communications, and reporting all managed in one secure platform, freeing staff to focus on donor engagement and strategy.

• Rapid, Secure Payments – Funds distributed within days 

• Real-time Reporting - Gave funders confidence their dollars were reaching families quickly and equitably

Example of a FORWARD application portal in Spanish

The Impact

• $2M+ in aid distributed directly to student families

• Program launched in less than 14 days, from concept to impact in record time

• Thousands of families served, including high participation from diverse, multilingual communities

• Staff time reclaimed, allowing the Foundation to focus on oversight, fundraising, and strengthening donor trust

Why It Matters for Education Foundations

This program proves that even with small teams, education foundations can:

• Respond to crises immediately without overwhelming staff

• Ensure equitable access across language and digital divides

• Build donor confidence through transparent reporting and measurable results

• Create a sustainable model that can expand from one-time relief to year-round support

The LAUSD Education Foundation’s Student Family Emergency Relief & Income Recovery Program shows what’s possible when mission-driven foundations pair vision with the right infrastructure.

With FORWARD as a thought partner and implementation partner, a small team was able to design an inclusive program, move millions in aid within days, and demonstrate measurable impact to donors and the community.

For education foundations everywhere, this model proves that you don’t need a large staff to deliver outsized results—you need the right partner.

By combining speed, equity, and accountability, foundations can not only meet urgent needs but also strengthen long-term trust with families, funders, and the broader community.

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