The Foundation for Spreadsheet Education puts students in the arena, where they think logically, analyze fast, and solve hard problems creatively under a clock. You are supporting a student's experience, not a spreadsheet.
FSE is a recognized 501(c)(3). Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. EIN 39-4185078.
The founding campaign
Brian and Clara Franke gave the first $50,000, before we had a website or a logo. We are asking everyone else to copy it: fifty cells of $1,000, filled by as many people as it takes, by December 31. Give whatever you can; every gift fills part of a cell.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J |
|---|
A cell can be filled by one person or by twelve, and there is no cap at fifty donors or at $1,000. Any amount moves the next one.
Our mission
Excel Esports gives students a real arena: timed case competitions, regional events, and championships that demand logical thinking, analytical skill, creative problem-solving, and genuine command of Excel, all under pressure. Those experiences build skills employers notice and confidence students carry into their careers. FSE exists to put more students in that arena. More support means more students competing, learning, and winning.
Prize money for the students who reach the finals, and the grants and training that get more students there. We keep our own costs lean, and as a 501(c)(3) our finances are a matter of public record.
Excel Esports rewards logical thinking, analytical rigor, and creative problem-solving, at speed, on the tools finance and business actually run on.
Competitors become alumni, mentors, and future supporters, extending the mission year over year.
Our founding gift of $50,000 from Brian and Clara Franke got us started. Each new gift reaches more students.
Ways to support
We lead with unrestricted support, the most useful gift and how the Franke gift was made. It lets us put money where students need it most. The priorities below are illustration, not a fixed menu.
Awards for the finals and championships that reward the students who rise to the top. This year's prize pool is funded; your gift helps secure the next one.
Grants that let a university put on a regional event when it cannot raise the whole cost internally. One committed campus reaches far more students than one funded competitor.
Educational resources and coaching that help students prepare and compete at a higher level.
The website, platform, and administration that keep the program running and growing.
The students
Competitors come from campuses around the world. These are real moments from MECC regionals, the European Open, and the championships in Las Vegas.
How to give
Give the way that works for you. Every gift, at any size, supports students.
One-time or recurring, on our secure page on Givebutter, the fundraising platform we use to process gifts.
Roughly $1,000 and up, where processing fees start to matter.
Ways to give that other people help pay for.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Method | Best for | Processing fee | How to start |
| 2 | Card | Most gifts, fastest route | Yes, and you can cover it at checkout | Donate button |
| 3 | Bank transfer (ACH) | Larger online gifts | Yes, lower than card, coverable | Donate button |
| 4 | PayPal, Venmo, Cash App Pay | Giving from the wallet you already use | Yes, coverable | Donate button |
| 5 | Apple Pay, Google Pay | Giving on a phone | Yes, coverable | Donate button |
| 6 | Recurring gift | Steady support across the year | Same as the method you pick | Choose monthly at checkout |
| 7 | Check | Traditional giving | None | Email us for the mailing address |
| 8 | ACH or wire, direct to our bank | Gifts of roughly $1,000 and up | None | Email us for instructions |
| 9 | Employer matching | Doubling what you give | None to you | Your employer's giving portal, often Benevity |
| 10 | Donor-advised fund | If you already give through a DAF | None | Recommend a grant using our EIN |
| 11 | IRA qualified charitable distribution | Age 70 and a half or older | None | Ask us for sample transfer instructions |
Rows 7 to 11 reach us without a processing fee. On a $10,000 gift that difference is roughly $290, which is why it is worth asking for instructions rather than reaching for a card. Every gift is receipted the same way, whichever row you use.
Donor recognition
Our giving levels follow how a spreadsheet builds, from a program-running Macro down to a single cell, shown here top level first. Every donor belongs to a level and can grow into the next.
| Tier | Gift range | The idea |
|---|---|---|
| Macro | $25,000 and up | The top level: support that powers the whole program. The Franke gift is our founding Macro. |
| LAMBDA | $10,000 to $24,999 | Powerful, reusable, program-level support. |
| LET | $5,000 to $9,999 | Naming what matters and building on it. |
| Function | $1,000 to $4,999 | Real capability. The board give-or-get lives here. |
| Formula | $250 to $999 | Where the pieces start working together. |
| Cell | $1 to $249 | Every gift starts with a single cell. |
With thanks
Everyone who gives is listed here by tier, by name only, and only if they choose to be. The Frankes are our founding Macro. Everyone who copies them belongs to the same column.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tier | Gift range | Donors |
| 2 | Macro | $25,000 + | Brian and Clara Franke · founding gift |
| 3 | LAMBDA | $10,000 – $24,999 | Open |
| 4 | LET | $5,000 – $9,999 | Open |
| 5 | Function | $1,000 – $4,999 | Our board is filling this row first |
| 6 | Formula | $250 – $999 | Open |
| 7 | Cell | $1 – $249 | Every journey starts with a single cell |
Listing is opt-in and name only. No amounts are shown against individual donors. Tell us at checkout if you would rather give anonymously.
Our record
A foundation is just a spreadsheet that grows. Here is ours, one row per year, and the rows below it are the ones we have not written yet.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Year | Raised | What it built |
| 2 | 2025 | – | Recognized as a 501(c)(3), effective August 27, 2025 |
| 3 | 2026 | $50,000 | The Franke founding gift, plus Paste It Forward |
| 4 | 2027 | – | Not written yet |
| 5 | 2028 | – | Not written yet |
| 6 | Lifetime | $50,000 | and counting |
Calendar year. The two numbers on this page fit together: the Frankes' $50,000 founding gift, plus the $50,000 Paste It Forward is raising to match it, is what takes 2026 to $100,000.
Giving clarity
FSE and the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge (MECC) are related but distinct. Knowing the difference helps your support go exactly where you intend.
Foundation for Spreadsheet Education, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
The student competition, operated by a for-profit company
Governance
FSE is guided by a volunteer board of directors drawn from finance, education, and the global Excel community. Each name links to their LinkedIn profile.
Advisors. Oz du Soleil serves as a non-board advisor and sits on the Governance Committee. Scott Nance serves as a non-board advisor on the Fundraising Committee.
Make a gift
Your gift supports real Excel Esports experiences for students. FSE is a recognized 501(c)(3); gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Card, bank transfer, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, one-time or recurring. Cover the processing fee at checkout so FSE keeps 100 percent of your gift.
Donate nowSecure checkout on Givebutter, our fundraising platform.
For gifts of roughly $1,000 and above, giving by check or electronic transfer keeps processing fees off your gift.
Make checks payable to:Email info@spreadsheetedu.org and we will send you a gift instruction sheet with the mailing address and our ACH and wire details. The same sheet covers DAF grants and IRA qualified charitable distributions.