Education Fuels Progress: Our 2024-26 Strategy
In America, it remains all too predictable who gets a fair shot at life. Our education system should be a gateway to opportunity, yet it often acts as a barrier. While there’s no shortage of committed leaders and bright spots in communities across the country, we have yet to move the baseline for everyone.
Building better and braver coalitions is just the beginning
Earlier this month, my organization, NewSchools Venture Fund, gathered venture leaders, staff, funders, and supporters from every chapter of our history to celebrate twenty-five years of impact.
Investing in a Bright Future For All Students: 2023 Trends
If you’re only seeing the negative headlines about education, you might be missing out on the inspiring stories of progress and potential in the field.
What We’ve Learned from our Focus on Excellence and Equity in Education Innovation
By Frances Messano, President Over the past seven years, NewSchools has been intentional about centering racial equity and investing in leaders of color. Along the way, we’ve heard rumblings that some white leaders believe they shouldn’t apply for funding because their chances of receiving a grant are lower. Nothing could be further from the truth. […]
Becoming the Next CEO of NewSchools
By Frances Messano, President In March, we announced that I will succeed Stacey Childress as CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund, beginning in 2023. I am grateful for Stacey’s extraordinary leadership and intentional transition planning. She supported my growth, giving me stretch opportunities over time and the freedom to lead different parts of our work, which […]
Our Promise and Plan of Action for the Year Ahead
This is a tough time to be in education. For teachers and school leaders navigating a third wave of the pandemic and fighting to deliver an excellent education, there are no “time outs.” Education philanthropy has a shared responsibility to support educators who are responding to unrelenting demands every day.
MacKenzie Scott Makes Historic Gift to NewSchools Venture Fund
By Frances Messano and Stacey Childress We are thrilled to announce that NewSchools Venture Fund has received an incredible $35M investment from MacKenzie Scott—a gift that allows us to continue to provide unrestricted dream capital to the innovators we fund. This is the single largest contribution NewSchools has received to date, and these funds will […]
Dream Capital for Innovators Advancing Racial Equity in Education
By Frances Messano, President, NewSchools Venture Fund For the past year, there have been loud calls for justice and change stemming from the ongoing police killings of Black and Brown people and the violence against Asian-Americans. This week, George Floyd was given a measure of justice after a jury in Minneapolis convicted his killer, the […]
How Leopards Change Their Spots: Five Attributes of Schools That Successfully Transitioned to Distance Learning
By Frances Messano, Senior Managing Partner, NewSchools Venture Fund As schools rapidly closed down their physical buildings across the country, we saw many of the leaders in our portfolio move quickly and nimbly to implement distance learning plans and provide critical support families need. Across them all, we found five common themes in the approaches they took. […]
Reposted from Medium.com — Hey Educators and Entrepreneurs with Bold Ideas…This is Big!
For the last few years, August 1 has been a particularly auspicious day for me and my colleagues at NewSchools Venture Fund. It’s the day we announce open funding opportunities. As a side note, it’s also my dad’s birthday, so it’s been a special day to me forever (Happy Birthday, Dad!). But, getting back to […]