Our Work
NewSchools Venture Fund believes that all children are entitled to a high-quality public education and that the best way to reach this goal is to transform our current systems of public schools into performance-driven organizations that focus on student achievement. We believe that education entrepreneurs can spark this broader transformation in the public school system.
As a nonprofit venture philanthropy firm, we raise capital from both individual and institutional investors; we then use those funds to support promising education entrepreneurs, help them grow their organizations to scale, and connect their work with public school systems — particularly within targeted urban areas. We analyze the national education landscape and the “ecosystem” for this type of dramatic change in each our key urban areas to determine how education entrepreneurs are poised to make a difference.
Once potential ventures are identified, our team engages in a rigorous investment process that includes due diligence on the organization, its management team, its model, product, and results, as well as the market it seeks to address. When we invest in an organization, we serve as active partners by taking a seat on the board of directors and by providing ongoing management assistance to the leadership team as the venture grows to scale.
In order to maximize the impact of our ventures, NewSchools also connects the work of these entrepreneurs with one another and with the broader field through events and publications. Ultimately, our goal is to empower the entrepreneurs we support to transform public education so that all children have the opportunity to attend a high-quality public school.