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We invest in the ideas and energy of education leaders and entrepreneurs who are advancing innovative solutions that expand the definition of what works.

What We Fund

We support early-stage organizations and new initiatives within existing organizations that work to improve outcomes for all students, particularly those furthest from opportunity — including students of color, those experiencing poverty, and those with learning differences. Our focus is in the following areas: 

Learning Solutions

Accelerating reading and math growth for K-8 students through engaging and relevant content, tools and models

Teaching Reimagined

Reimagining the role of teachers by evolving how they work and engaging caregivers and community experts to support student success

Innovative Schools

Creating new innovative schools that help children develop a strong academic foundation and skills needed for success in life

Learning Differences

Within and beyond our three main focus areas, we support ideas focused on enhancing teaching and learning for students with learning differences (diagnosed or undiagnosed disabilities). 

While not mandatory, we’re enthusiastic about solutions that:

Our Investment Criteria

Alignment

We invest in the ideas and energy of education leaders and entrepreneurs who are advancing innovative solutions that expand the definition of what works.  Our focus is on creating new possibilities and a just future for all students, especially those farthest from opportunity — including students of color, those from low-income backgrounds, and students with learning differences. Applicants must align with at least one of our investment priorities: Learning Solutions, Teaching Reimagined, or Learning Differences.

We partner with innovators in the early stages of developing ambitious new ideas with the potential to dramatically improve student learning and advance equitable opportunity. Our long-term goal is to have a catalytic impact on student success nationally, so we focus on ventures that seek to expand their impact significantly over time by growing their organizations, influencing the work of others, or both.

We expect innovators to engage students, families, and community members early and often to inform all aspects of design and planning. By seeking to understand the needs, interests and aspirations of the people they aim to serve, innovators can not only design a better solution, but also create the necessary relationships to grow their impact over time.

We seek mission-driven, diverse innovators who demonstrate passion, personal integrity, and the ability to execute and deliver impact. We expect our entrepreneurs to build high-functioning teams to ensure they are surrounded by individuals with the skills and backgrounds necessary to deliver on their vision. Leaders should be open to working closely with us and being an active member of our community of practice.

Teams that are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are better equipped to meet the needs of the students and communities they serve. We seek teams that embrace this commitment by developing comprehensive strategies with measurable goals to prioritize DEI in their organizations and programmatic models. In addition, teams confront issues of race, class, ableism, and privilege, and recruit racially and ethnically diverse board members, leadership teams and staff to reflect the students they serve.

We are interested in supporting organizations that grow their impact and it is impossible to do that with philanthropy alone. To that end, we look for organizations with plans for achieving financial sustainability through a mix of revenue sources (e.g., philanthropy, earned revenue, government grants, and partnership fees).