(Photo via Manhattan Wine Auction)

The June 4 event will also feature a live auction, open only to attendees of the event, with packages including a luxurious Blue Sapphire Diamond Pendant Necklace, VIP tickets to the AT&T Pebble Beach Celebrity Pro-Am via a Challenger Jet, a trip to Napa Valley with private tastings at Arrow & Branch and Memento Mori Wineries, a 3-night stay at the Four Seasons Resort and Residence Los Cabos at Costa Palmas, and many more unique experiences and rare-to-find wines.

(Photo via Manhattan Wine Auction)

After the live auction ends, the dancing will begin on Center Court with a ten-piece live band.

Community Partners Make the Event

The Manhattan Wine Auction has been a foundational event in support of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation and the Manhattan Beach public schools. For the past two years of virtual and semi-virtual events, the wine auction raised $800,000 in 2021 and $1 million in 2020. In previous years with in-person events, the wine auction had raised as much as $1.8 million.

As the event has grown over the years, it relies on community partners and volunteers who secure the wineries and restaurants in attendance, build the auction lots, and bring the event together on the final day.

(Photo via Manhattan Wine Auction)

“At the heart of the wine auction is the people – those who spend countless hours coordinating the effort, and those who attend and bid in support of our schools," said Rachel Disser, who along with Rich Janson is returning to co-chair the event. "Everything about the wine auction is building community. This year, more than ever, Manhattan Beach appears ready for it."

Local businesses also serve as major sponsors of the wine auction. The sponsor list includes founding sponsor Chevron; premier sponsor Kirkland & Ellis; platinum sponsors Desolation Hotel, First Republic Bank, Spencer & Weiss Families, Running Point Capital Advisors, and Wells Fargo The Private Bank; and Vineyard Court sponsor J.P. Morgan Private Bank. The Bay Club serves as a partner in the event as the host and key supporter. 

Paddle Raise to Support STEM

Each year the MBEF Board of Directors works with district leadership to determine an immediate need to fundraise for during the Paddle Raise at the wine auction. This year, the MBEF Board voted to focus on raising funds to expand the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program at all grade levels. 

(Photo via Manhattan Wine Auction)

MBEF’s STEM programs currently in place have had a tremendous impact on student learning, said MBEF Executive Director Hilary Mahan. 

“MakerSpace and Science Lab in all of our elementary schools, STEM electives in the middle school, and a robust Technology and Engineering program at the high school have inspired our students to consider how STEM is incorporated into everything they do," said Mahan. "The funds raised at the wine auction will build on the momentum to equip our students with more opportunities for exploration and discovery.” 

Manhattan Beach Education Foundation Endowment

All proceeds from the Manhattan Wine Auction benefit the MBEF Endowment Fund.

The MBEF Endowment provides critical financial support for MBEF’s mission to enrich teaching and promote innovation and academic excellence in the public schools of Manhattan Beach.

The endowment aims to provide a stable and consistent source of funding that avoids fluctuations in the economy and the unpredictability of state funding for education, as well as enrichment opportunities today and in the future.

Each year, a disbursement from the Endowment supports MBEF programs for the coming year. In 2021, the disbursement was over $1.1 M to support $5.3 million in programs that engage students in learning and provide opportunities for discovery in grades TK-12 for the 2021-22 school year.

For more information, visit www.mbef.org  and http://endowment.mbef.org/