Our inaugural grant in 1996, funded through grass-roots giving, was a three-year $20,000 investment in LifeLabs at Hopkins High School. We followed that with 15 smaller grants sprinkled throughout the school district over the next two years. In those early years, we established our pattern for success — encouraging teachers and staff at all levels throughout the District to come forward with innovative ideas big and small.

In 1999, we hosted our first Royal Gala — an upscale, semi-formal event in a downtown hotel. Pleased with the community engagement and fund-raising success of the event, our HEF Board voted to make it an annual affair (pictured 2007). Every year since then, on a Saturday night in winter/early spring, you will find our community gathered together to have a great time and raise funds to support HEF’s mission at Royal Bash.

Each year at the Royal Bash, HEF raises funds for a large special project that benefits as many Hopkins students as possible. We collaborate with school district leaders to create a project with impact. Our large, multi-year projects for the district have included funding sound amplification systems for classrooms, iPads in the middle schools, a 2-year STEM focus across the district, a major mental health initiative at all grade levels, and a focus last year on reading, math and career paths.

HEF’s big, multi-year initiatives are important and make a big splash. But we’ve also learned that our many smaller grants make a big difference. Over 80% of the grants that we have awarded are for less than $7,500, yet their impact is visible everywhere in our schools — from classroom libraries to stability balls for fidgety learners, to outdoor gardens and a decorated field-trip bus.

In September 2013, we hosted our first Rock-n-Royal, an adults-only block party in downtown Hopkins designed to help build a sense of community in the District. It has become a successful annual tradition. More recently, HEF launched Royal Family Fun Day, designed to build community and raise awareness about what HEF does.

In 2015, HEF launched The Awesome Fund, supported by a generous Hopkins alumnus, a matching donation from his employer, and the family & friends of Ethan Lang (class of 2009). The Awesome Fund provides modest grants to registered new or existing Student Clubs (with a faculty adviser). Since 2016, we have awarded 30 Awesome grants and counting. in 2023, HEF announced a $100,000 endowment for the Awesome Fund.