Innovative Schools Application

Overview

<p><span>We are looking for educators who are designing new, innovative public schools launching in Fall 2023. Through this annual funding opportunity, we help early-stage charter organizations launch their first and/or second school in a new network, and support district schools with the autonomy to develop and implement innovative instructional designs. While the ideas we support will involve varying approaches, all the schools in our portfolio are committed to three design principles: </span><em>an expanded definition of student success, equity and innovation</em><span>. In addition, these teams aspire to expand their impact by serving more students directly or by influencing the work of other educators. </span></p> <p class="after-h4 before-ol">Our goal is to accelerate a team’s progress towards designing and opening an innovative school by providing assistance in three key areas:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Financial support:</strong> We provide a one-year grant of $215,000 to support a team’s planning year (12-14 months prior to opening a new school). Each team is also eligible to receive additional funding to support the school’s first three years of operation.</li> <li><span><strong>Community of Practice:</strong> </span>Teams participate in an active community of practice to build relationships with and learn from peer organizations from across the country.</li> <li><span><strong>Management assistance:</strong> </span>We provide teams with relevant, timely and differentiated support. This includes access to experts in the field, coaching, and resources to meet teams where they are.</li> </ol> <p class="after-h4 before-ul">To be considered for an investment, applicants must:</p> <ul> <li>Plan to open a new, innovative public school in fall 2023, including: <ul> <li>New district schools</li> <li>The first or second school of an emerging public charter school network</li> <li>A new school with a different model in an existing network</li> </ul> </li> <li>Enroll students within the PK-12 grade span on a full-time basis</li> <li>Be eligible to receive public funding</li> <li>We are open to ​​funding brick-and-mortar, virtual and hybrid school models</li> </ul> <p class="after-h4 before-ul">This year, we are particularly interested in the following:</p> <ul> <li><strong>School districts:</strong> Twenty-nine percent of the schools we funded last year were autonomous district schools. We believe that school districts can create new learning environments that lead to academic and social-emotional success for all students, especially low-income students and students of color. We seek to increase the number of district schools in our portfolio.</li> <li><strong>Latino leaders:</strong> Currently, only 10% of our school founders identify as Latino, yet 26% of public students do. We need to tap into the entrepreneurial energy within the Latino community to fund relevant and effective school designs that meet the needs of all students.</li> <li><strong>New models that emphasize multiple pathways:</strong> We are particularly interested in new models that guide students through the transition from high school to employment and continued learning. We are committed to supporting schools that share this vision and operationalize it through their innovative model.</li> <li><strong>Virtual and hybrid school models:</strong> Given the realities of the pandemic and the needs of students and families, we are interested in supporting more virtual and hybrid school models that center an expanded definition of student success, equity, and innovation.</li> </ul>