In the course of doing so, the Heaps have consistently supported an array of educational causes, most notably Kiddo!, the 35-year-old private education foundation that supports a vast array of music and technology programs within the Mill Valley School District. In addition to donating over $300,000 to various school foundations and community groups, Sage has donated more than $120,000 in free and/or discounted tutoring services to more than 50 Marin students in need.
Now the couple is taking that support to another level, launching the nonprofit Sage Educators Foundation, which accepts tax-deductible donations to support marginalized youth in Marin – specifically the achievement gap in math and the language arts between Latino and white students in Marin County. According to a recent study by the Education Trust-West, an Oakland-based educational research and advocacy organization, “Marin County has the second-highest [achievement] gap [in the state], with a 46-point difference in the percentage of Latino and white students who met or exceeded both the state math and English language arts standards in 2017.”
“Since 2007, it has been our mission at Sage Educators to support all students in learning, regardless of age, race, religion, gender or socioeconomic status,” Heaps says. “We have seen thousands of students reach their academic goals, and we couldn’t be happier. Unfortunately, the demand for support has grown beyond what is sustainable for Sage Educators, but we hope this initiative will go a long way towards addressing that gap. We believe in educational equity, and it’s our mission to ensure that every Marin County student has access to the support they need to thrive… because when our students thrive, our entire community thrives.”
The 411: Sage Educators has launched a nonprofit Sage Educators Foundation to raise money toward addressing the achievement gap in Marin. MORE INFO.