Burbank Arts & Education Foundation (BAEF) is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2025 California Nonprofit of the Year by California Assemblymember Nick Schultz, District 44.
Burbank Arts & Education Foundation is one of more than one hundred nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve.
Burbank Arts and Education Foundation is the only organization that raises funds for all Burbank public schools. The mission of BAEF is to engage and inspire the community to invest in meeting the diverse educational needs of every Burbank Unified School District student. Working with business partners, parents, and community members, BAEF helps fill the gaps between education funding and the academic needs of BUSD students, reinforcing Burbank’s reputation as a thriving community dedicated to the well-being of its residents.
Brenda Etterbeek, Burbank Arts & Education Foundation Chair expressed her appreciation by saying, “We are deeply honored to be recognized as a 2025 California Nonprofit of the Year. This recognition is a reflection of the incredible dedication of our board, volunteers, educators, and community partners who believe in the power of arts and education. We remain committed to ensuring every Burbank student has access to creative opportunities that inspire learning, expression, and growth”.
“We are grateful for the work of BAEF and want to extend our congratulations for this well deserved recognition,” said Geoff Green, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits
(CalNonprofits), the sponsor for this initiative. “Nonprofits provide critical services, advocate for our most vulnerable neighbors, and enrich the lives of all Californians. From the childcare program to the soccer team, from the art class to the health clinic, and from the community organizer to the animal shelter, nonprofits make our communities stronger”.
“Nonprofits are not just innovators and problem-solvers, but also a major economic force within the state,” said Green. According to “Causes Count,” a 2019 report commissioned by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is the 4th largest industry in the state, employing more than 1.2 million people. Each year, California nonprofits generate more than $273 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside of California. The unpaid labor contributed by volunteers at nonprofits is equivalent to 330,000 full-time jobs every year.
Now in its tenth year, the California Nonprofit of the Year initiative provides the opportunity for each California state legislator to recognize a nonprofit organization doing outstanding work in their district. The program culminates with a celebratory luncheon at the Capitol on California Nonprofits Day, which this year is May 21.
The program is sponsored by the CalNonprofits in partnership with the state Senate and Assembly Select Committees on the Nonprofit Sector. CalNonprofits, the leading policy voice for California’s nonprofit sector, focuses on advocacy, education, and research to build a more powerful and politically engaged nonprofit network across the state.
To learn more about Burbank Arts & Education Foundation, visit BurbankArtsAndEd.org.
