Donor Insights for K-12 Education

Donors can choose to support an array of approaches. But since K-12 education receives so much philanthropic attention, donors who want to give in this area might prioritize underresourced communities or approaches, or consider giving to address the root causes of educational inequities, such as poverty and systemic racism, or how public education is funded. Philanthropists might also think about giving for early childhood education, which research indicates can provide significant lifelong benefits but which receives far less donor support than K-12 and higher education. 

How can I have the most impact as a philanthropist supporting K-12 education?

Nonprofits are engaged in an extraordinarily wide range of efforts relating to K-12 education. Here, we discuss several aspects of K-12 education that are relatively underresourced by philanthropy, spotlighting organizations that donors might consider supporting. 

• Give to underresourced, community-focused innovators. Native American students, immigrant students, LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, and students in rural areas all warrant more philanthropic attention than they are currently getting. The nonprofits 10,000 Degrees and iMentor help low-income and first-generation students on the path to college. Equal Opportunity Schools works with school districts to increase enrollment of low-income students and students of color in AP and International Baccalaureate classes, and The Calculus Project boosts the number of BIPOC and underserved students in high-level math classes. The First Nations Development Institute works to strengthen Native American communities and economies on many fronts, including through education. The Oakland Reach is a parent-run organization focused on improving education for Black and Brown students in Oakland, California. Grassroots groups addressing the intersections of education and social, economic and racial justice include the National Parents Union, the New York Coalition for Educational Justice, and the Los Angeles-based Students Deserve. 
• Back educators of color. There is significant evidence that students of color do better in school when they have teachers who look like them, yet the majority of teachers in the U.S. are white, while slightly more than half of public school students are students of color. Nonprofits working to train and support educators of color include the Center for Black Educator Development, the Black Teacher Collaborative, Brothers Empowered to Teach, and the Urban Ed Academy. The national organization Breakthrough Collaborative supports historically underrepresented students in high school and college, and trains the next generation of teachers and advocates of educational equity. 
• Fund advocacy. A lot of what philanthropy does in the area of education would be unnecessary if the public education system were providing equal, quality education to all students. As it stands, students in rural areas, students living in ZIP codes with lower property tax revenues, students in low-income households and many others do not have the same access to a quality education as students who live in well-funded school districts and have wealthy parents. Donors can back advocacy to reform public school funding so that schools and school districts across the country are funded equitably. The Washington, D.C.-based Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE) helps parents develop the knowledge, voice and skills to work with and influence education policy. In the face of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and the ongoing difficulty of making change at the federal level, many funders are focusing their policy advocacy efforts at the state and local levels.
• Support the civics education this era demands. In addition to perennial education issues like equitable school funding and teacher training, there are nonprofits working to address pressing concerns of the current moment. The News Literacy Project has tools for educators, students and others to increase news literacy and combat misinformation and disinformation. In the face of book bans and classroom library purges, nonprofits such as PEN America, the National Coalition Against Censorship and the American Library Association could also make good use of additional philanthropic resources. 
• Study other common K-12 education priorities. Support organizations for charter schools and local schools are among the biggest recipients of donor support for K-12 education. Before giving to either, get to know some of the reasons why many educators and equity advocates have concerns about them. There are many other strategies that major funders of K-12 support that individual donors might also be interested in supporting, such as helping bridge the digital divide and creating effective online learning options for different kinds of students, funding training and professional development to improve teaching quality, changing the way schools approach child discipline and violence in schools, and increasing the number of college readiness programs so that kids don’t just get into college, but are also prepared for the challenges of adult life. 

Tips for Funders Supporting K-12 Education

In considering which impact strategies to support, donors should take into account their personal interests and outlook to find the best fit. Keep an eye out for emerging opportunities to give with maximum impact. Here, we offer a few insights and suggestions:

• Don’t go it alone. Funder affinity groups and Intermediaries can do a huge amount of the leg work of identifying opportunities in the field, and getting involved with one of these groups is a great way for donors to save time and give more effectively. A leading funder affinity group to know about in this field is Grantmakers for Education. Because education is such a popular giving area, many regional associations of grantmakers also have education funder subgroups. Community foundations usually do a lot of education grantmaking and can be a great source of information and networking opportunies with other local funders supporting K-12 education. Donors can also explore funding intermediaries such as NewSchools Venture Fund and New Profit. Another option for giving for education is DonorsChoose, which allows donors to directly support teachers’ classroom needs.  
• Seek alignment in values and theory of change. Education is a volatile issue, and there are many ideas about what’s wrong, what should be changed and what it will take to achieve that change. Do you believe charter schools bring innovation and freedom from bureaucracy, or do you feel great public schools should be available to all children and need to be equitably resourced? Do you have opinions about curriculum or the school-to-prison pipeline? Reflect on the mission, vision and theory of change of any nonprofit to which you are considering making a donation. You might also review their partner organizations, collaborators, networks and current funders. This can tell you a lot about whether an organization’s work is aligned or at odds with your values and philanthropic mission. 
• Take a “whole child” approach. Many nonprofits and the funders who support them advocate a “whole child” approach, which goes beyond looking at education in a silo to address issues including access to nutrition, housing and healthcare; social and emotional learning; and support for parents and guardians. These factors interrelate and affect educational experiences and outcomes.  

How can I get started making donations to support K-12 education?

Donors who are new to this space should take the time to learn about the landscape. A good place to start is by reading IP’s snapshot of K-12 funding trends and our more in-depth State of American Philanthropy report on Giving for K-12 Education. In addition, peruse recent articles that IP has published about what’s happening in this area of philanthropy. Some of the funding intermediaries mentioned above also offer reports and articles to help donors understand the giving landscape. 

• To find more local and national nonprofits working in this area that are well-respected, Charity Navigator is a reputable place to search for worthy organizations around the country.
• The best way to get started giving for K-12 education is to make some initial gifts, learn from the groups you’re supporting, and connect early with a funding intermediary that can help you learn more about this giving area and increase your giving in a thoughtful way. 

Have suggestions for improving this brief? Please email us at editor@insidephilanthropy.com.