Foundry10 issues $250,000 grant for varsity, junior varsity athletics at Yelm High School

Yelm Community Schools and Yelm High School have received some needed financial support and relief for the upcoming 2026-27 athletic season, as Foundry10, a philanthropic education research organization, has donated $250,000 in the form of a grant to support varsity and junior varsity sports.

During a YCS Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, June 25, Yelm Superintendent Chris Woods spoke to the board and the audience on the impacts of receiving $250,000 in grant funds for the upcoming athletic season at YHS.

“This is pretty exciting,” Woods said. “If you recall, I know as a board in our conversations we wrestled with athletics. Not literally, but figuratively. We really weighed the impact of athletics in our community and came to a compromise of maintaining varsity and JV at the high school only, which means we don’t have C-team and middle school sports for the first time.”

Woods added that YCS previously committed to a $600,000 expense in order to maintain varsity and junior varsity athletics at YHS in the 2026-27 school year.

“Yelm Community Schools is a recipient of a $250,000 grant from Foundry10 to support junior varsity and varsity sports during the 2026-27 school year,” Woods read from a press release. “The funding will help preserve athletic opportunities for students across multiple programs and support continued access to school-based athletics. This grant comes at an especially important time as the district operates without a local levy and continues to navigate significant financial challenges and district-wide budget reductions. The grant will support junior varsity and varsity sports through approved coaching stipends across multiple athletic programs. This district is deeply thankful for Foundry10’s investment in Yelm students. Athletics provide students with meaningful opportunities to build connection, belonging, teamwork, leadership and school engagement. This support will make a significant difference for our students and athletic programs during the 2026-27 school year.”

Woods added that Foundry10 is an education research organization with a philanthropic focus on expanding ideas about learning or creating direct value for youth. Additionally, Foundry10 collaborates with a range of partners to service, evaluate and share opportunities to better support learning inside and outside of the classroom.

“Building on more than a decade of impactful work, its approach blends applied and experimental research, philanthropy and education programs rooted in evidence-based practices,” Woods said. “Yelm Community Schools extends its sincere appreciation to Foundry10 for supporting student access to junior varsity and varsity athletics, and investing in opportunities that benefit youth.”

Woods also thanked Dr. Lisa Cadero-Smith, assistant YCS Superintendent, for her efforts in spearheading the work necessary to receive the $250,000 grant. He noted that Cadero-Smith was the primary point of communication with Foundry10 throughout the process.

“We’re just thrilled,” Woods said. “We were very surprised when we got the notification.”

The YCS Board of Directors unanimously approved the acceptance of $250,000 in grant funds from Foundry10.