As National School Choice Week comes to a close, we celebrate the remarkable progress of school choice across the nation, creating new opportunities and rewarding students’ dedication. Over the years, Philanthropy Roundtable has proudly highlighted exceptional schools, policy organizations and venture funds that have shaped this movement. These organizations, many of which donors have helped launch, grow and support, exemplify the innovative spirit driving school choice forward.
Throughout this piece, we have linked past Roundtable stories and blogs to showcase the impact and lessons from these efforts. Looking ahead, we remain committed to connecting values-aligned philanthropists with transformative opportunities in education. If you want to make a lasting impact in K-12 education, explore these outstanding organizations leading the school choice movement.
New Schools Funded by Philanthropy
In recent years, the demand for alternative school models has surged, fostering incredible innovation in charter, private, public and virtual schools. Philanthropy has played a significant role in meeting this demand, investing heavily in creating new schools that provide students with greater opportunities for success. The schools below are illustrative of the incredible institutions philanthropists have helped launch and grow—broadening access to quality education and imparting lessons that prepare students for success inside and outside the classroom.
- Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School: Cristo Rey Network schools combine four years of rigorous college-prep academics with four years of professional work experience through a Corporate Work Study Program. In partnership with various corporate businesses and firms, Cristo Rey provides students with work experience one day a week to help them earn money while enabling them to complete a condensed class load the remaining four days. This program helps students from low-income families gain the knowledge, character and skills to achieve their goals.
- The Foundations School: Supported by the Center for Creative Education (CCE), The Foundations School is a K-5 arts-integrated, research-focused demonstration school that strives to transform teaching and learning through the arts and creativity. Through individualized attention and an arts-integrated curriculum, The Foundations School teaches low-income students the foundations of learning to improve grade levels in reading, social studies, science and math.
- Vertex Partnership Academies: Vertex Partnership Academies is an innovative, International Baccalaureate public charter school in Bronx, New York. Guided by the four cardinal virtues—courage, justice, temperance and wisdom—Vertex seeks to instruct high school graduates in the habits, knowledge and personal agency necessary to lead self-determined, purposeful lives of American and global citizenship.
Organizations that Drive Opportunity
Innovative organizations are well positioned to address the evolving school choice landscape with the partnership and support of donors committed to their mission. By breaking convention and harnessing creativity, these initiatives provide unique solutions and resources to educate families on school choice options in their area.
- GuideEd: The Garcia Family Foundation firmly believes education is essential for success and should be accessible to everyone. To help address this critical need, they created GuidEd, a resource designed to assist families in navigating school and scholarship options. Today, GuidEd offers free educational services to families through personalized one-on-one coaching.
- SchoolBox: The Herzog Foundation envisions an America where faith, family values and hard work foster prosperity. To realize this vision, the Foundation’s mission is to catalyze and accelerate K-12 Christian education, enabling families and culture to flourish. With new Christian schools, micro-schools and cooperatives emerging nationwide, the Herzog Foundation created SchoolBox. SchoolBox provides lessons, resources and mentorship to catalyze the creation of new schools, equipping Christian parents and administrators with the tools needed to navigate the start-up process.
- Love Your School: Having gone through the struggle to find resources on school choice options for her five children, Jenny Clark founded Love Your School as an easy-to-access tool for families and schools in Arizona, Alabama and West Virginia. Love Your School is the one-stop hub for families to explore everything from school choice to Education Savings Accounts while providing personalized support along the way.
Accessible and Entrepreneurial School Choice Solutions
While the extraordinary emergence of alternative educational models is a fantastic breakthrough in school choice, it has surfaced challenges related to policy and funding. Unfortunately, many parents and educators remain unaware of school choice resources. But bold organizations are stepping up to ensure every child has access to quality education regardless of financial limitations, geographic location or socioeconomic status.
- Drexel Fund: The Drexel Fund believes educational opportunities should be accessible to all, regardless of income or location. As a nonprofit venture philanthropy, Drexel supports the establishment of diverse and innovative private schools for low-income students with learning differences. They initiate new schools, expand successful school networks and enhance educational ecosystems to ensure private schools serving underserved students can flourish.
- Outschool.org: Outschool.org partners with states to implement Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and microgrants to increase the availability of impactful learning and reduce accessibility challenges for families from low-income or rural backgrounds. By partnering with community organizations and forward-thinking education nonprofits, Outschool.org provides philanthropically supported microgrants as well as tutoring and enrichment classes.
- The American Federation for Children (AFC): AFC works across the United States by electing education reformers, passing high-quality education reforms and advocating for families. They were founded on the premise that school choice is a fundamental right for parents to access the educational environment that serves their children best, regardless of income. AFC empowers families with the freedom and knowledge to choose the best K-12 education for their children.
- VELA Education Fund: The VELA Education Fund invests in thousands of school-choice entrepreneurs nationwide who are innovating outside of the traditional education system. VELA identifies entrepreneurs doing work on the ground, increases awareness of their work, makes it accessible to more people and strengthens the community of education entrepreneurs by connecting them so they can leverage one another’s knowledge. By providing grants and expanding choice, VELA remains committed to the mission that everyone should be able to pursue an education that works best for them.
If you are interested in learning more about how Philanthropy Roundtable supports K-12 education, please contact Pathways to Opportunity Program Director Stephen Allison here.
