NewSchools Venture Fund: Funding Opportunities

Overview

Our Investment Criteria:

• Alignment -- We invest in visionary, early-stage education leaders and entrepreneurs with bold ideas that expand the definition of what works. Our focus is on creating new possibilities and a just future for all students, especially those furthest from opportunity. 
  Ideas must align with at least one of our investment areas: 
  • Innovative Schools -- NewSchools invests in school founders committed to bringing new models to life. We support educators who are opening new innovative public schools during the Design, Plan, and Launch phases — from the early planning years (12–24 months before launch) through the first three years of a school’s operation. We support teams that are creating:  
    • The first or second school of an emerging charter school network
    • New district school
    • New tribally controlled schools or schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education
  • Learning Solutions -- NewSchools invests in K-8 literacy and math solutions, including tools, content, and models that:
    • Engage and empower students to build critical skills, such as reading comprehension and algebraic thinking, that set a foundation for learning and success
    • Enable teachers to deliver grade-level and differentiated instruction that meet a range of student needs and support learning at home
    • Leverage AI to increase access to accurate, research-based learning experiences that are both personalized and instructionally rigorous
  • Teaching Reimagined -- NewSchools invests in innovative approaches that make teaching a more sustainable, effective, and joyful profession. We build on what works and catalyze new approaches. We’re especially excited to support ideas from those who understand the problem best: our educators. We fund ideas that address one or more of the following opportunities: 
    • Redesign educator roles: Providers that help schools adopt new collaborative staffing models to improve educator effectiveness and well-being  
    • Bridge school and community: Organizations that support schools to integrate caregivers, community experts, or industry professionals onto instructional teams
    • Leverage AI: Solutions co-designed with educators to strengthen their instructional practice and prepare them to use AI safely and effectively
  • Learning Differences -- NewSchools invests in ideas that enhance teaching and learning for students with learning differences through our core investment areas — Innovative Schools, Learning Solutions, and Teaching Reimagined — and makes a small set of direct investments in critical opportunities that fall outside of these areas, including:
    • Special education teacher recruitment and retention initiatives: Ideas that increase the number of highly qualified special education teachers in schools and improve retention rates by providing support throughout their careers 
    • Professional development and instructional tools:  Professional learning and related tools designed to accelerate an educator’s ability to translate research into practice, create communities of belonging and improve outcomes for students with learning differences
    • Postsecondary readiness solutions:  Experiential learning opportunities and transition support services uniquely designed for students with learning differences as they move through high school and prepare for college and career
       
• Idea -- We seek bold ideas that combine new approaches with proven practices to improve student learning and advance equitable outcomes for all. We believe equipping students with a strong academic foundation, as well as essential habits, mindsets and skills within a positive learning environment, is key to this goal. (We call this an expanded definition of student success). We aim to have a catalytic impact on student success nationally, so we invest in ventures that seek to expand their impact significantly over time by growing their organizations, codifying and sharing best practices, or influencing the work of others.
• Community Engagement -- We expect innovators to engage their stakeholders – students, families, and educators – early and often to inform solution design and implementation. By understanding the needs, interests and aspirations of those they aim to serve, innovators can not only design better solutions but also build the relationships necessary to grow their impact over time.
• Team -- We seek mission-driven innovators who demonstrate passion, integrity, and the ability to execute their vision. Innovators should build diverse and capable teams with the right mix of skills and backgrounds to drive impact. Leaders should be open to collaboration, committed to building high-functioning teams, and be excited to participate in our communities of practice, which foster learning and growth.
• Inclusion -- We support teams that are dedicated to breaking the predictability of who succeeds in this nation. Research shows that teams are more effective in meeting the needs of students when they bring a range of experiences and have leaders and educators who share the backgrounds of the students they serve. We seek teams that are building organizations and solutions uniquely designed for students furthest from opportunity.

We are also interested in learning more about how school founders are supporting post-secondary success, students with learning differences, leveraging AI, and/or adopting new approaches to educator roles. 

Across these opportunities, we are interested in solutions that prioritize equity and quality, enhance human relationships, and enable high-quality instruction that is effective for a wide range of students, including students experiencing poverty, students of color, students with learning differences and multilingual learners.

Financial Sustainability -- We look for organizations with long-term plans for achieving financial sustainability through a mix of revenue sources, such as philanthropy, earned revenue, and government grants. Our focus is on supporting ventures that can secure the revenue they need to grow their impact over time. 

What We Offer

• Funding: Direct financial support to advance your work. One-year, unrestricted grants range from $150,000 to $250,000.
• Expert Support: One-on-one coaching and access to national experts.
• Community: Connection with peer organizations across the country.

The final application deadline is January 8, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT. The first step is to complete the eligibility form to determine if your idea aligns with our strategy. We encourage you to submit your eligibility form as soon as possible. Applicants who are opening a school will complete the schools application. Applicants who are aligned with the Learning Solutions, Teaching Reimagined, or Learning Differences investment areas will complete the general application. Click here to preview the General eligibility form, application questions, and review relevant FAQs.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants who submit by December 1, 2025 will receive an update on their status by the end of January. All applicants will receive an update by March.

Need support? Have questions? Join our upcoming office hours on Wed. 11/19 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET. Register here.
2026 Funding Application Guide; Sponsor FAQs