Marfa Education Foundation celebrates a year of growth

The Marfa Education Foundation (MEF) is closing out one of its strongest years yet, marked by new grants, expanded programs, and deeper support for students and teachers across Marfa ISD.

Despite increased competition for funding statewide and regionally, MEF secured the grants that fund necessary programs at Marfa ISD and continued to build strong relationships with foundations that have supported the district for many years. These partnerships helped MEF approach its largest annual budget to date, allowing the nonprofit to grow programs that directly benefit Marfa students.

Among this year’s accomplishments, MEF continues to support college readiness programs, helping high school students prepare for higher education and pursue the colleges of their choice. Funding for early-grade literacy initiatives help teachers strengthen reading skills for elementary students. The foundation also continues to work with the district to build their music program, ensuring all students have meaningful access to music education. MEF also made progress on its long-term effort to upgrade technology districtwide, making more than $74,000 available to the district for computers and software this year.

MEF continued its tradition of providing scholarships to Marfa graduates pursuing college and stipends to support Marfa ISD teachers, but for the first time, MEF is offering scholarships to teachers employed by Marfa ISD who are pursuing certifications. “We have to put our money where our mouth is,” says MEF Director, Abby Boyd. “We promised the school board that MEF would be a partner in addressing community concerns about our school. We know that having certified teachers will make a big impact on community trust, and benefit students and the teachers who obtain the certification. This is a program we hope to grow significantly over the coming years.”

While MEF celebrates these successes, the organization also points to an ongoing challenge: individual giving. Nationally, nonprofits receive an average of 66% of their revenue from individual donors. This year, only 11% of MEF’s funding came from individuals and small businesses. “Individual contributions are essential to the work we do,” Boyd shared. “They help sustain programs that don’t always qualify for grant funding and allow us to respond quickly to student and teacher needs.”

MEF is already planning new projects for the coming year and hopes to increase community involvement to support this growth. Those interested in contributing or learning more about MEF’s work can visit www.marfaeducationfoundation.org.

Abby Boyd
MEF Executive Director

Crowley Theatre thanked for showcasing young filmmaker

Julie and Bruce Webb and I want to thank Tim Crowley for allowing us to screen Laundromat, Texas at the Crowley Theatre this month. I hope there is a record of all the events that have been performed in that cool building. What a benefit it is to our community. 

The director of the film, Matthew Dylan, is fresh out of film school and only 23 years old, and we were so pleased to help him show his work in Marfa, especially since he allowed some of the proceeds to benefit Marfa Public Radio. The whole cast was in town for the party. Joe Cashiola made two trips to the theatre to make sure the film would run smoothly. Manny Dutchover fixed the film crew breakfast at Poco Mexico in Fort Davis so they could shoot some footage for their upcoming debut at the National Finals Rodeo in December in Las Vegas. Astrid and Kat worked the bar for the after party at the Wild Mare, and Ross Cashiola, Pat Kesey, Cale, Jimmy & Amanda, who are a really great band, got the crowd dancing. 

We are so thankful for the warm reception and the generosity of all who attended.  When Matthew Dylan gets to the Oscars in a few years, we can remember we saw him first in Marfa, Texas.

Liz Rogers
Julie and Bruce Webb
Marfa