For the last few years, August 1 has been a particularly auspicious day for me and my colleagues at NewSchools Venture Fund. It’s the day we announce open funding opportunities. As a side note, it’s also my dad’s birthday, so it’s been a special day to me forever (Happy Birthday, Dad!).
But, getting back to NewSchools’ big news…
Today, we share news of up to $8 million in funding opportunities across two of our investment areas: Innovative Schools and Diverse Leaders. For innovators and teams of educators with the vision and skills to reimagine learning, this could be the chance of a lifetime. So, if that sounds like you or someone you know, we’d love to learn more.
The two funding areas each have their own investment criteria and timeline. Here’s more on each:
Innovative Schools — NewSchools invests in innovative schools all over the country, within districts and charter networks, that embrace an expanded definition of student success, which we define as strong academics combined with important mindsets, habits and skills. These innovative schools are using new approaches to ensure students’ learning experiences are more personalized – tailored to their individual needs, skill levels and interests. Our team created a video that we hope will inspire people who are thinking about opening a new, innovative school to take the leap to begin the process.
What We Offer: Investments of $200,000, plus management assistance and participation in a learning cohort
Who We’re Looking For: Teams of educators with plans to open their first or second innovative district or charter school in Fall 2020
Timeline: Apply here by Nov. 26, 2018. Cohort begins in Spring 2019.
Diverse Leaders — NewSchools provides funding and management assistance to organizations that are advancing Black and Latino leadership in education by:
- Recruiting new Black and Latino leaders into education
- Accelerating the careers of Black and Latino leaders already working in education
- Creating networks of Black and Latino leaders
- Building the capacity of education organizations to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive
- Influencing the field to be more diverse, equitable and inclusive in areas such as research, design, policy, and/or advocacy
Our aim is to see Black and Latino leaders represent at least 40 percent of PreK-12 education leadership, mirroring the racial and ethnic representation of U.S. students.
What We Offer:Investments from $100,000 to $200,000, plus management assistance and participation in a learning cohort
Who We’re Looking For: Early stage organizations (0-2 years old) and new initiatives (0-2 years old) at existing organizations to grow, advance and support Black and Latino leadership in education
Timeline: Apply here by September 7.
The entire team at NewSchools is buzzing with excitement. We can hardly wait for all the great ideas to start pouring in. While some may welcome August as the start of an unofficial vacation month, it marks the beginning of a special time at NewSchools. It’s when we have a chance to learn about new people and ideas with the power to make a significant impact for students.
