The Real Estate Investor Betting on Big Returns from a Local Early Reading Program

The Real Estate Investor Betting on Big Returns from a Local Early Reading Program

A growing number of funders want to ensure that children can read by third grade. We explore how a major donor in New York came to this cause and got behind a nonprofit helping teachers do better at teaching reading.

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The Latest on an Effort to Fund Nontraditional High School Models in New England

The Latest on an Effort to Fund Nontraditional High School Models in New England

The Barr Foundation recently committed to a new batch of grantees who are “doing high school differently.” Here’s how the funder’s education redesign strategy has been playing out in New England.

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Beyond Charters: Will Philanthropy Step Up for Public Schools in Los Angeles?

Beyond Charters: Will Philanthropy Step Up for Public Schools in Los Angeles?

Five foundations recently came together to start the Fund for Equity and Excellence to support Los Angeles public schools. Will this effort attract new partners and funding to the nation’s second-largest school district?

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A New Strategy is Bringing in Millions for Public Schools in St. Louis

A New Strategy is Bringing in Millions for Public Schools in St. Louis

Public education funds are entities that act as conduits between private donors and public school districts. They’ve thrived in Washington, D.C., and New York. But can this model also succeed elsewhere?

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A Big Gift for an Overlooked K-12 Niche: School Counselors

A Big Gift for an Overlooked K-12 Niche: School Counselors

School counselors can help shape students’ lives in big ways, like getting them to the right college and hooking them up with local employers. But we don’t see a lot of grants focused here. Here’s an exception from Indiana.

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Behind the $35 Million Gift to Launch a Charter School in a Struggling City

Behind the $35 Million Gift to Launch a Charter School in a Struggling City

The CS Mott Foundation put up $35 million to start a new charter school in Flint, Michigan. What’s the story with this big gift from a funder that doesn’t consider itself a supporter of the charter movement?

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It's One of the Biggest Failures Yet in K-12 Philanthropy. What Are the Lessons?

It's One of the Biggest Failures Yet in K-12 Philanthropy. What Are the Lessons?

Risk is often a key to high-impact philanthropy. But experiments that go wrong can impose major costs on communities. A case in point: the Gates Foundation’s push to improve teacher effectiveness.

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The End of the Charter School Era? Hardly. But a Key Charter Funder is Expanding its Agenda

The End of the Charter School Era? Hardly. But a Key Charter Funder is Expanding its Agenda

The Walton Family Foundation joins the growing number of charter movement backers giving more attention to traditional public schools. Here’s what the funder’s latest grants tell us about where it’s going next.

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In Bloomberg's New Education Push, a High-Stakes Test of His Big Philanthropy

In Bloomberg's New Education Push, a High-Stakes Test of His Big Philanthropy

Michael Bloomberg is dramatically scaling up his giving toward education, an area that’s famously frustrated even the deepest-pocketed donors. Can Bloomberg succeed where others have failed?

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Public Allies: How a Small Family Foundation Got Behind Local School Teachers

Public Allies: How a Small Family Foundation Got Behind Local School Teachers

If you look past the attention to top K-12 funders, you’ll find that foundations in this space come in all shapes and sizes, including many who support traditional public schools. Here’s a case in point from Texas.

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New Linkages: A Closer Look at a K-12 Collaboration Between Two Top Funders

New Linkages: A Closer Look at a K-12 Collaboration Between Two Top Funders

There’s growing funder interest in addressing the social and economic factors that influence student success. A new initiative backed by Ford and CZI, Together for Students, underscores this important trend.

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The Ballmer Express: Where's This Anti-Poverty Funder Heading Now?

The Ballmer Express: Where's This Anti-Poverty Funder Heading Now?

The Ballmer Group is one of the most interesting acts to follow in philanthropy right now. Its latest pair of eight-figure gifts underscores its commitment to capacity building and offers more clues about its strategy.

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Scaling Up: With Another Big Cash Infusion, This Education Nonprofit Is Set to Grow

Scaling Up: With Another Big Cash Infusion, This Education Nonprofit Is Set to Grow

Communities in Schools has been around since 1977. But lately, in another indication of today’s shifting education funding landscape, it’s pulled in unprecedented support to expand its work.

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Wanted: Visionary Research to Accelerate Gains in Education

Wanted: Visionary Research to Accelerate Gains in Education

Two top K-12 funders have mounted an ambitious research and development quest to find “transformative education solutions.” The hope is to accelerate change in a field that can feel like a brutal slog.

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"Unique Needs." Chan Zuckerberg's Latest Move to Advance Personalized Learning

"Unique Needs." Chan Zuckerberg's Latest Move to Advance Personalized Learning

CZI’s education funding strategy is coming into sharper focus. It involves a range of partners and approaches, with the latest big grant for work on personalized learning in Chicago’s public schools.

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Be Nice: Funders With an Eye on the Social and Emotional Needs of K-12 Students

Be Nice: Funders With an Eye on the Social and Emotional Needs of K-12 Students

In the wake of another school shooting, it’s worth taking a close look at two unusually large gifts to fight bullying and social isolation among adolescents. How do these grants fit into a broader funding landscape?

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Another Tech Company Steps Up Its Giving for K-12 STEM Education

Another Tech Company Steps Up Its Giving for K-12 STEM Education

There’s a new tech giver on the scene. Well, it’s an old funder with a new endowment. Here’s a look at Akamai Foundation’s expanding grantmaking.

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A K-12 Funder Reviews Its Strategy, With an Eye on Racial Equity

A K-12 Funder Reviews Its Strategy, With an Eye on Racial Equity

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation, a leading K-12 funder in New England, has lately been engaged in a strategic planning process that puts race front and center. How’s it changing as a result?

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Guess Who's Betting on Impact Investing to Boost the Charter School Movement?

Guess Who's Betting on Impact Investing to Boost the Charter School Movement?

Impact investing has a lot of potential to help scale charter schools. Not surprisingly, the Walton Family Foundation is positioning itself as a leader in putting up such capital.  

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Another Push for Greater Teacher Diversity, Focused on a Group Often Overlooked by Philanthropy

Another Push for Greater Teacher Diversity, Focused on a Group Often Overlooked by Philanthropy

A move by Kellogg to train Native American teachers for STEM early learning comes as more research shows students do better when their educators are as diverse as the classrooms they lead.

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