The Northampton Education Foundation told the School Committee Thursday that it is awarding JFK Middle School up to $80,000 over three years — and that the new funding stream will continue in three‑year cycles as the endowment grows.

Marty Wall, representing NEF, described the first JFK project to be funded under the allocation: an on-campus store and café where students can spend teacher-issued reward tickets and where students with special needs can practice job and adaptive life skills in a natural setting. NEF said the foundation fully funded an initial $17,500 installment for the project.

NEF said the funds are drawn from an endowment invested with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and from several named funds that support local public education. The program, NEF said, is intended to protect principal while deploying only income and investment returns for grants.

How the café will be used: NEF and school leaders described two goals for the pilot project: to create a sustainable reinforcement system for teachers’ positive-behavior tickets and to provide repeated, real-world opportunities for JFK students with special needs to practice adaptive and vocational skills while interacting with staff across the building.

What the committee asked: Members praised the foundation’s multi-decade fundraising and described the project as a model for future school-driven proposals. Committee members asked whether NEF sees the endowment growing and whether philanthropic funds might help with operating costs; NEF representatives said the foundation will continue to solicit donations but cautioned that private philanthropy typically augments rather than replaces operating-budget positions.

NEF said more grants could follow as the endowment grows and encouraged additional donations to expand the slate of projects.