We believe families make San Francisco stronger and more vibrant.
MISSION
We are committed to helping create a stronger, more vibrant San Francisco by ensuring that Potrero families from a diversity of income levels stay and raise their children here.
THEORY OF CHANGE
Potrero families are less likely to flee San Francisco if they have attractive and affordable education options, a strong connection to a community of friends and neighbors, and their interests are met by local government.
OUR WORK
We operate a local preschool and support neighborhood elementary schools. We bring families together with their neighbors for community events and programs. We advocate on behalf of families with SFUSD and other city agencies.
IMPACT
We are helping increase:
-Demand for neighborhood schools.
-The number of local families that stay through the middle and high school years.
-The number of local families reporting they feel part of a larger community.
PREFund got its start in 2005 when three of five Potrero public schools were slated for closure or merger. A group of parents and neighbors rallied and created an intense, six-week grassroots campaign to overturn the closure recommendations from the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and its Board of Education (BOE). Over 600 signatures were gathered in support of keeping Daniel Webster Elementary School (DW) open and the BOE was presented with a multi-part plan to increase the school’s enrollment.
In May 2006, eight of the parents and neighbors in that initial group created PREFund, an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission of supporting education and building community in Potrero. The first initiative was to honor the pledge to the BOE to raise enrollment at Daniel Webster.
Part of that plan was to create a preschool on the DW campus with the belief that a welcoming, high-quality, neighborhood preschool would help funnel more local families to the adjacent elementary school. Potrero Kids at Daniel Webster (PKDW) opened in September of 2008 and offered a Spanish bilingual pre-kindergarten program to its initial class of 32 children.
With more applicants than seats available, PREFund seized an opportunity to expand and opened a second campus, named Potrero Kids Third (PK3), in October, 2012 in Dogpatch. Across both campuses, Potrero Kids now serves roughly 100 children, ages 2 and up, with roughly 25% receiving some sort of tuition assistance.
The plan worked. Daniel Webster is now thriving, as is Potrero Kids. Both are sources of neighborhood pride and cornerstones of the community.
PREFund is now expanding its efforts beyond the DW and PKDW communities to include education, advocacy, and community-building initiatives that impact all families in Potrero.
2006
Formalized as 501(c)3
2016
Form Middle School and School Integration Coalition
Our Board
Current
Bio Coming Soon
Max Garrone works in digital content and co-founded Mezcalistas, where he produces tastings and covers the mezcal industry. His daughter attended Daniel Webster Elementary School and he served as PTA President there for two years.
Hannah is the Senior Director of Operations at a Palo Alto-based wealth management firm where her responsibilities include: implementing and improving the firm's operational processes as well as managing the client services team. Hannah has lived in the Dogpatch since 2006 and has experienced tremendous growth in the neighborhood. Both her children have attended the Potrero Kids preschool.
Jay Hung is a technology executive experienced with leading globally distributed engineering organizations for early-stage and venture-backed companies, and creating products reaching hundreds of millions of people. He has lived in Mission Bay for over a decade, is active in the community, and has two daughters attending Starr King Elementary in Potrero Hill.
Nataly is co-founder of FUTUREFORMS, an art and design studio based in the Dogpatch. She is also Professor of Architecture at the California College of the Arts. Nataly has worked and lived in the Dogpatch since 2009 with her husband and 2 daughters, and has seen the neighborhood rapidly transform. She looks forward to contributing to the community's continued growth and evolution.
Bio Coming Soon
Jessica is a digital marketing and event design consultant that works with mission-driven brands, entrepreneurs and organizations. She is a friend, a community builder and has lived in Potrero since 2013. Having been a beneficiary of PREFund's work as a new parent, Jessica is thrilled to give back to the organization and further its mission.
Gareema is an administrator at a local small-business that preserves and waterproofs historical buildings in the Greater Bay Area. She is a long-time volunteer at a SF-based grassroots organization, Nepal SEEDS, that partners with locals and the local government in rural Nepal to fulfill their education, environment, health and social needs. She has lived and worked in Potrero Hill with her husband and two children since 2012.
Emeritus
PREFund owes its founders and subsequent dedicated community members a debt of gratitude
for their service and the impact they’ve had on the Potrero Hill community
Dena Fischer
(Emeritus in Memoriam)
2006-2012
Katherine Doumani
2006-2014
Melissa Millsaps
2006-2014
Laura Mitic
2006 - 2014
Jennifer Betti
2006-2015
Debra Grassgreen
2006-2015
Stacey Randecker Bartlett
2006-2017
Daphne Magnawa
2011-2015
Stacey Delo
2012-2018
Galateia Kazakia
2012-2018
Sarah King
2012-2019
Margaret Yang
201?-2019
Becky Barton
201?-2019
Jason Barton
201?-2019
Nik Tan
201?-2019
Ana Avilez
201?-2019
Press
This 2015 Potrero View article reviews the continued success and evolution of Daniel Webster and touches on the addition of new board members.
This 2012 San Francisco Chronicle article focuses on positive changes at Daniel Webster and includes interviews with two PREFund founders as well as additional Daniel Webster parents.
This 2009 San Francisco Chronicle article details our successes and highlights the tremendous community support for Daniel Webster and our efforts.
This 2008 San Francisco Chronicle article describes our partnership with Rebuilding Together SF and multiple local corporations to upgrade Daniel Webster's campus.
This 2006 San Francisco Chronicle article describes our genesis and early efforts.
