Before NewSchools invests, we rigorously screen a potential venture’s ability to make an impact on education’s most pressing problems. A potential venture must fit with NewSchools’ current investment strategy; must directly benefit the education of low-income students; must be scalable and sustainable, so that its impact will increase over time; and must be capable of having a catalytic impact on education for underserved students, beyond those it directly serves. Organizations that pass this initial screening process are also evaluated on the following questions:
- Does the organization have a strong management team that can successfully lead the organization toward its goals?
- Is the venture addressing a need in the market?
- Is the product or service of high quality, and likely to achieve its desired impact?
- Is the financial model sound?
NewSchools invests in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations.