A $5 million Kaiser Permanente grant will fund three years of mental health and wellness services for Pasadena Unified students and families affected by the Eaton Fire, the Pasadena Educational Foundation reported at its annual board meeting Tuesday, June 23.

The commitment is the largest in PEF's more than 50 years of operation. The three-year initiative, first announced May 6, will sustain trauma-responsive health services across the district, where more than 1,000 student families and 200 staff members lost homes in the January fire. PEF highlighted the Kaiser partnership as the centerpiece of its year-in-review presentation to the board at Bacchus' Kitchen in Pasadena.

PEF also reported record teacher grants totaling $324,452 for the 2025–26 school year, funding 213 classroom and schoolwide projects at campuses including Blair IB, John Muir Early College Magnet, Pasadena High, Marshall Secondary, Madison Elementary, and Eliot Arts Magnet. The figure represents a 57 percent increase over the $206,000 awarded in 2023–24. PEF funded every application submitted.

"This has been an extraordinary year for our community, and as schools continue recovery efforts following the Eaton Fire, these grants help bring renewed energy and possibility into classrooms," Executive Director Dr. Patrick Conyers said at PEF's December 2025 teacher grants celebration, where the awards were announced.

Among the funded projects: Courtney Scrabek and Micol Issa of John Muir High School received the Calvin Hunt Arts Award for "Painting with Light: The Grief Underneath," a large-scale UV art installation representing inner grief and loss.

More than 1,000 students enrolled in PEF's Summer Enrichment Program for summer 2026, with nearly half receiving tuition assistance.

The June 23 meeting also honored eight retiring board members, including Jonathan Fuhrman, who served 40 years, the longest tenure in PEF history. Outgoing Board Chair Erik Berg, who lost his own home in the Eaton Fire, concluded his two-year term after leading the foundation through the recovery period.

Teacher grant applications for the 2026–27 school year open in fall 2026. Families can reach PEF at (626) 396-3625 or pasedfoundation.org.