Ventures

We support teams of educators with bold visions for new schools that will change the odds for students in communities across America. Our definition of an innovative school is broad and we know the schools each community needs won’t look the same. We fund the design of new public schools – both district and charter. These schools help students develop a strong academic foundation along with the other mindsets, habits and skills they’ll need for success in life.

Innovators are creating the tools and solutions that can power breakthrough student success. They work hand-in-hand with educators and school leaders who are both building new school models and reinventing existing ones. We seek to support early-stage innovators along a spectrum of solutions that includes supplemental tools, core instructional approaches, and whole-school models that enhance teaching and learning

Diverse leadership matters. Yet, in a country where the majority of public school students are children of color, diversity in the field — among teachers, leaders and parent advocates — lags far behind. We invest in efforts to increase the number of Black and Latino educators and education leaders, ventures that serve as diversity, equity and inclusion capacity builders and work to mobilize parents to advocate for change.

True systemic change takes truly bold action. That’s why we offer “dream capital” to leaders of color who have ideas for addressing racial inequities in education. We are open to ambitious, early-stage ideas that advance racial equity. We don’t decide how to allocate funds; instead, we leave it up to parents, students and education innovators of color.

Through our EDge Fund, we deploy resources to meet pressing needs in the education sector in responsive ways. We seek solutions that extend beyond any single investment area, with a focus on innovations that empower students with learning differences as well as innovations emerging in response to the pandemic, including ideas for how schools can accelerate student learning, address human capital shortages and provide stronger mental health support for educators and students.

Children with learning differences deserve schools that elevate their assets and voices and put them on a path to realize their full potential. With generous support from Oak Foundation, we fund a wide range of innovations to empower students with learning differences who are also experiencing the impacts of racism and poverty. Our goal is to build a diverse portfolio of leaders developing early-stage solutions to better serve students with learning differences and their caregivers.