PROVIDENCE — School Supt. Donnie Evans has revived a long-dormant foundation whose mission is to raise money for the school district and manage the donations that are already there.

The foundation, originally called Rekindling the Dream, created by former Supt. Diana Lam in 2002, has a balance of $42,000. Two weeks ago, philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein donated $100,000 to Feinstein High School to purchase more than 100 desktop computers, which will be used to expand the school’s new digital portfolio system.

Evans said he identified the need for a vehicle to raise money for the financially strapped district two years ago, and it has finally come to fruition. Chief Financial Officer Mark Dunham is managing the foundation, which is a nonprofit organization, but Evans wants to pass that responsibility on to a board of directors.

Under the existing bylaws, the foundation is supposed to be run by a five-person board of directors that includes the superintendent and the School Board president, but Evans said he would like to appoint a board with more independence from the School Department.

“Having an independent board will indicate that it’s not the superintendent who is making the decisions,” Evans said. “An independent board will make sure that the money is spent appropriately.”

He said that the board is looking at hiring an accountant to manage the fund.

The foundation, however, will not be used to pay for basic needs such as teacher salaries, maintenance and supplies. Instead, the donations will be used to supplement the district’s basic education plan and might be used for athletics, technology or fine arts. In some cases, the donor will specify that the money be used for a specific school or program, like the Feinstein award; in other cases, the board of directors, working with the School Department, will decide how the money will be spent.

The foundation will also compete for large, national grants such as those administered by the Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation.

“This will give us an opportunity for businesses to partner with us,” Evans said.

A new name will also be selected for the revived foundation.

Meanwhile, Feinstein said that he was thrilled to be able to support a school that bears his name.

“This was the first public high school in the country to have community service as an integral part of the curriculum,” he said yesterday. “They’ve given so much back. When I heard of their need, I came forward.”

Feinstein High School began putting student work on an electronic portfolio this year but the school needed more computers to make the program effective. With the $100,000 donation, the school will be able to put 10 desktop computers in every classroom.

“This is going to change the way the school does business,” Feinstein Principal K.C. Perry said. “The school will look more like the real world where we use technology to communicate and develop our ideas.”

During a recent conversation with Perry, Feinstein asked if there is anything he could do for the school and Perry mentioned that he had recently been turned down for a technology grant. Two weeks later, the school had received a check.

lborg@projo.com