Since 1993, Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) has managed a fund for Riverside Educational Enrichment Foundation (REEF), a revered nonprofit serving the students and teachers of Riverside United School District (RUSD). REEF funding has become a valuable lifeline in the region, providing grants to teachers and scholarships to students.
REEF sprang to life in 1993 to benefit the more than 43,000 students in Riverside Unified School District (RUSD). It quickly sparked the community to raise funds from public and private grants, as well as individual and corporate donors. The efforts provided funding for teacher grants in such areas as language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education, and the visual and performing arts.
The board is all-volunteer, comprising parents, community leaders, educators, and business associates.
“REEF is unique in that the dollars do go straight into the classroom,” said Lauri Byers, REEF’s Executive Administrator. “The ideas come from the teachers, and the impact is pretty immediate with the students. We love giving them that leverage to be able to do that in their classrooms.”
It’s the drive for creativity that stands out from the standard curriculum.
“School districts don’t really have extra money to provide for those kinds of creative things, so teachers often dip into their own pockets. When the organization started, we wanted to raise some money and give out mini grants to these teachers—something like $1,000 to a classroom or $3,000 to a grade school project. And we’ve been doing it that way ever since.”
More than 30 years later, REEF has grown considerably, granting more than $2 million dollars to the Riverside Unified School District in teaching grants. The ripple effects of these efforts have elevated the educational experiences of students from elementary school through high school.
Recent distributions from The Robert H. Gurr and Nancy Gurr Johnston Educational Book Fund, another fund IECF manages, are also expanding opportunities for learning.
“It’s a great fund,” said Lauri Byers, REEF’s executive administrator. “Bob, who is an honorary chair on our board, has been such a huge supporter of REEF for many years. He created an endowment to help middle-school age kids mostly, because that follows along his story about middle school.”
She adds that Gurr developed a love for engineering, design, and a deep appreciation for cars and airplanes, leading him down the path to his eventual career with Disney. At 94 years old, Bob Gurr is a legendary Disney Imagineer celebrated for developing the ride systems for some of the most iconic attractions in theme park history. He is famous for his more than 100 designs for Disney, ranging from the sleek Matterhorn Bobsleds and the Disneyland Monorail to the Autopia cars and the OmniMover system.
“He wanted to pay it forward, and this endowment has become a great support for middle-school kids,” Byers said. The annual grants are used to provide books and periodicals for RUSD students in grades 7 and 8, sparking interest in practical careers ranging from automotive and aircraft industries to theatrical and themed entertainment.
Through the years, REEF’s role has also expanded to include other types of grants and scholarships, which have become a valued lifeline.
The Bonnie G. Polis Teaching Enrichment Grants, for instance—named after one of the organization’s founding members and distributed annually. Elsewhere, Earthwatch Fellowships are a mix of designated funds from private donors and other REEF funds, allowing teachers worldwide to attend scientific expeditions and return to share their experience with their students.
“You’ll find grants that go to everything from arts and crafts to science and gardening,” she added noting showcases located in lobbies featuring displays of where grant money is distributed.
“One standout is Ms. Victoria Bella of John W. North High School, who directs ballet folklorico and makes a lot of her own costumes, sewing them for her students,” Byers said. “She puts a lot of detail and work into those. We funded the shoes for those students, helping out in a way that completes the outfit.”
To that end, oftentimes, REEF works right alongside teachers who put in their own efforts, helping them finish it off.
Another noteworthy teacher, Ms. Amanda Orantes, a 6th grade Dual Language Immersion (DLI) teacher at Jefferson Elementary, received funds to instruct about ancient Egyptian burial rituals.
“She wanted to teach them about mummies and mummification,” Byers explained. “She wanted apples, baking soda, salt, and just simple things to be able to have the students do hands-on learning. Ultimately, they got to see the results of that from beginning to end.”
Meanwhile Riverside STEM Academy students, under the instruction of Ms. Tracy Lawrence, recently took part in designing robotics and using software to manipulate what they do.
“We got to showcase that at our annual event called the Best Event Ever in March,” Byers said.
When asked what she loves most about working with the organization, Byers shared: “I love seeing the results. We have not wavered one bit from our mission because we really do see the impact and the difference it makes in the students and teachers in these school communities.”
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, May, 2026.
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