Why Smart Philanthropists Are Reinvesting In Education Now
Click on the Forbes.com homepage or scan your news alerts, and you will be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the dozens of crises and the 'five separate dooms promised this decade alone,' to crib from James Stafford's poem 'This Spring.' It's hard to know what the right next step is and not to feel paralyzed into inaction.
Today, more than 70 education leaders across the political spectrum came together with an answer. Speaking in a unified voice, itself a distinction in this time of increasing polarization, former Secretaries of Education Arne Duncan and John King and heads of major education philanthropies and nonprofits called on fellow education colleagues, philanthropists, and advocates to 'step up and recommit to education as the cornerstone of social mobility, economic opportunity, and inclusive democracy.' Titled 'A Dream Worth Pursuing: Recommitting to Education,' the letter invited action, asking colleagues to 'invest more in bold ideas, innovative solutions, and collective action that can pave the way to a more hopeful and prosperous future for all.' [Full disclosure: I am one of the signers.]
Education is foundational to every other facet of society and area of change, signers explained, with Peggy Brookins, President & CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, calling it 'the long-term plan for a stronger nation.' Auditi Chakravarty, CEO of AERDF (Advanced Education Research and Development Fund), described education as "the core underpinning – essential infrastructure for our society." 'Education undergirds everything else--national prosperity, civic competence and unity, individual prospects, upward mobility, and so much more,' said Chester E. Finn, Jr., Distinguished Senior Fellow & President Emeritus of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Several signers specifically highlighted the connection between public education and democracy. As Michelle Boyers, CEO of the Give Forward Foundation, put it: "Schools are the foundation of a future of a democratic society." Dr. Gisele C. Shorter, President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, called public education the 'cornerstone of our democracy' and the "strongest tool we have to build generations of engaged leaders and citizens,' adding, 'what happens in public schools has ripple effects that impact the health and future of our families and communities.'
The prevailing sense was that whatever issues might be closest to your heart as a philanthropist would not see progress without ensuring every child has an education that can prepare them for the future. 'If you believe in the importance of a thriving society and democracy, if you believe that we need a skilled workforce, and if you believe that we need future problem solvers to address our most pressing issues,' said Frances Messano, CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund, "we can't give up on our current generation of students."
Multiple leaders noted with concern that philanthropy is pulling back from education just when bold and sustained commitment is most needed. ""Historically, high-net-worth donors were focused on K-12 [education]
Signers across the board noted that the decline in investment is compounded by current attacks on public education and the loss of federal funding, hitting schools at exactly a moment when students and teachers are in need of greater support.
This decline, they argued, was short-sighted and counterproductive. "The urgency of the moment demands all the more that we really prioritize those kind of fundamental, foundational skills that young people will need to navigate an increasingly chaotic, volatile, uncertain future," said Chakravarty. Looking across Burroughs Wellcome Fund's broad portfolio, Louis Muglia, its president and CEO, said, 'Dollar for dollar, those investments [in education] make the biggest impact.'
There are bright spots. Several signers noted the collaborative funds and rapid-response grant opportunities that have cropped up since the start of the year. The Spencer Foundation, The Kapor Foundation, The William T. Grant Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have created a rapid response funding opportunity for teams whose grants have recently been canceled by the National Science Foundation to enable them to complete critical projects.
Leaders consistently emphasized that education transformation requires sustained investment over many years. "Commit to [your vision] with patient capital and focus on long-term implementation – changing government bureaucracy is not a 1-2 year project" was how Boyers put it – explaining why Give Forward was making 10-year grants to school-improvement efforts in the Bay Area. 'Change takes time,' Chakravarty agreed. "Building new strategies, implementing new solutions, all of these things take time. . . Unfortunately, that means there are no quick fixes." Iyengar took an evidence-based approach: "Any movement that's driven systemic change and population-level outcomes, they have a set of donors who provide patient, long-term capital... None of those organizations would have been successful if the donor had backed out when something didn't go right." It's because flexible and sustained funding enables organizations to 'advance interconnected strategies to accelerate their impact while building the infrastructure needed to do so,' explained Brookins.
While there was unanimity about the need for more flexible and sustained philanthropic investment in education, there were differing perspectives on its role. Some elevated the need for more support for proven strategies. 'We know exactly what to do,' Iyengar said, pointing to playbooks for district-level transformation from the District of Columbia and state level transformation from Tennessee and Mississippi, 'but we lack the commitment to do it.'
People pointed to decades of positive progress in districts and charter management organizations that have closed achievement gaps. "Despite political, cultural, and health-related disruptions, educators in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Washington, D.C., have demonstrated real progress in student proficiency by applying a rigorous, uniform approach to instruction," said Itai Dinour, Executive Director of the Carmel Hill Fund. These leaders question the notion that philanthropy needs to find the next breakthrough innovation, advocating instead for doubling down on proven organizations and approaches.
Others disagreed, emphasizing instead the unique role philanthropy plays in fueling innovation. 'While limited public resources may keep the train on track, philanthropy has always driven innovation,' said Brookins. Muglia of Burroughs Wellcome put it this way: 'The goal [of philanthropy] is not just to keep education static but have it evolve to meet the needs of society.'
There's a murmuring in education circles that education entrepreneurs aren't putting forward sufficiently bold ideas that funders can get behind. Across these interviews, a different picture emerged. 'There is no shortage of bold ideas and innovations in education,' Messano shared, citing the close-to 1,400 applications for funding that NewSchools Venture Fund received this year alone.
Several leaders suggested the problem was a limited definition of who counts as an innovator or expert. 'Seeing enough 'big bets' requires widening the aperture of who you're listening to,' said Dr. Shorter, a perspective that was widely held. 'Listen to the experts,' was how Brookins put it. "And by that, I mean those doing the work and are in the weeds daily. The educators, the school leaders, and the students. Ask them what they need." Auditi agreed, saying that part of why she signed the letter was to expand who we see as experts and remind people to listen to them: to 'educators, school districts and community leaders, folks who are close to the problems and challenges and needs.'
Iyengar offered a provocative thought on what drives change more broadly: "I think donors are looking for unicorn breakthrough idea that will change the world, but the history of movement building says it's a bunch of efforts pulled together that will really drive meaningful change."
* * *
In a time of scorching divisions, interviewees felt compelled by the call to act with collective spirit. They were motivated to speak out in a shared voice about the enormous potential of our nation's children and a belief that, as Brookins put it, education was our way of 'fulfilling a promise to our youngest generation and our ancestors' at the same time. The letter closes with a call to action: 'let's commit to this for the generations, for our children and our children's children, to build the future we all want to live in. Our students and our country's future urgently call on us to recommit to their potential and to the limitless potential of what they can achieve when we invest in them and tackle the challenges that hold back their learning.' The opportunity to sign on remains open.
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Forbes
4 days ago
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Why Smart Philanthropists Are Reinvesting In Education Now
Click on the homepage or scan your news alerts, and you will be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the dozens of crises and the 'five separate dooms promised this decade alone,' to crib from James Stafford's poem 'This Spring.' It's hard to know what the right next step is and not to feel paralyzed into inaction. Today, more than 70 education leaders across the political spectrum came together with an answer. Speaking in a unified voice, itself a distinction in this time of increasing polarization, former Secretaries of Education Arne Duncan and John King and heads of major education philanthropies and nonprofits called on fellow education colleagues, philanthropists, and advocates to 'step up and recommit to education as the cornerstone of social mobility, economic opportunity, and inclusive democracy.' Titled 'A Dream Worth Pursuing: Recommitting to Education,' the letter invited action, asking colleagues to 'invest more in bold ideas, innovative solutions, and collective action that can pave the way to a more hopeful and prosperous future for all.' [Full disclosure: I am one of the signers.] Education is foundational to every other facet of society and area of change, signers explained, with Peggy Brookins, President & CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, calling it 'the long-term plan for a stronger nation.' Auditi Chakravarty, CEO of AERDF (Advanced Education Research and Development Fund), described education as "the core underpinning – essential infrastructure for our society." 'Education undergirds everything else--national prosperity, civic competence and unity, individual prospects, upward mobility, and so much more,' said Chester E. Finn, Jr., Distinguished Senior Fellow & President Emeritus of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Several signers specifically highlighted the connection between public education and democracy. As Michelle Boyers, CEO of the Give Forward Foundation, put it: "Schools are the foundation of a future of a democratic society." Dr. Gisele C. Shorter, President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, called public education the 'cornerstone of our democracy' and the "strongest tool we have to build generations of engaged leaders and citizens,' adding, 'what happens in public schools has ripple effects that impact the health and future of our families and communities.' The prevailing sense was that whatever issues might be closest to your heart as a philanthropist would not see progress without ensuring every child has an education that can prepare them for the future. 'If you believe in the importance of a thriving society and democracy, if you believe that we need a skilled workforce, and if you believe that we need future problem solvers to address our most pressing issues,' said Frances Messano, CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund, "we can't give up on our current generation of students." Multiple leaders noted with concern that philanthropy is pulling back from education just when bold and sustained commitment is most needed. ""Historically, high-net-worth donors were focused on K-12 [education] Signers across the board noted that the decline in investment is compounded by current attacks on public education and the loss of federal funding, hitting schools at exactly a moment when students and teachers are in need of greater support. This decline, they argued, was short-sighted and counterproductive. "The urgency of the moment demands all the more that we really prioritize those kind of fundamental, foundational skills that young people will need to navigate an increasingly chaotic, volatile, uncertain future," said Chakravarty. Looking across Burroughs Wellcome Fund's broad portfolio, Louis Muglia, its president and CEO, said, 'Dollar for dollar, those investments [in education] make the biggest impact.' There are bright spots. Several signers noted the collaborative funds and rapid-response grant opportunities that have cropped up since the start of the year. The Spencer Foundation, The Kapor Foundation, The William T. Grant Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have created a rapid response funding opportunity for teams whose grants have recently been canceled by the National Science Foundation to enable them to complete critical projects. Leaders consistently emphasized that education transformation requires sustained investment over many years. "Commit to [your vision] with patient capital and focus on long-term implementation – changing government bureaucracy is not a 1-2 year project" was how Boyers put it – explaining why Give Forward was making 10-year grants to school-improvement efforts in the Bay Area. 'Change takes time,' Chakravarty agreed. "Building new strategies, implementing new solutions, all of these things take time. . . Unfortunately, that means there are no quick fixes." Iyengar took an evidence-based approach: "Any movement that's driven systemic change and population-level outcomes, they have a set of donors who provide patient, long-term capital... None of those organizations would have been successful if the donor had backed out when something didn't go right." It's because flexible and sustained funding enables organizations to 'advance interconnected strategies to accelerate their impact while building the infrastructure needed to do so,' explained Brookins. While there was unanimity about the need for more flexible and sustained philanthropic investment in education, there were differing perspectives on its role. Some elevated the need for more support for proven strategies. 'We know exactly what to do,' Iyengar said, pointing to playbooks for district-level transformation from the District of Columbia and state level transformation from Tennessee and Mississippi, 'but we lack the commitment to do it.' People pointed to decades of positive progress in districts and charter management organizations that have closed achievement gaps. "Despite political, cultural, and health-related disruptions, educators in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Washington, D.C., have demonstrated real progress in student proficiency by applying a rigorous, uniform approach to instruction," said Itai Dinour, Executive Director of the Carmel Hill Fund. These leaders question the notion that philanthropy needs to find the next breakthrough innovation, advocating instead for doubling down on proven organizations and approaches. Others disagreed, emphasizing instead the unique role philanthropy plays in fueling innovation. 'While limited public resources may keep the train on track, philanthropy has always driven innovation,' said Brookins. Muglia of Burroughs Wellcome put it this way: 'The goal [of philanthropy] is not just to keep education static but have it evolve to meet the needs of society.' There's a murmuring in education circles that education entrepreneurs aren't putting forward sufficiently bold ideas that funders can get behind. Across these interviews, a different picture emerged. 'There is no shortage of bold ideas and innovations in education,' Messano shared, citing the close-to 1,400 applications for funding that NewSchools Venture Fund received this year alone. Several leaders suggested the problem was a limited definition of who counts as an innovator or expert. 'Seeing enough 'big bets' requires widening the aperture of who you're listening to,' said Dr. Shorter, a perspective that was widely held. 'Listen to the experts,' was how Brookins put it. "And by that, I mean those doing the work and are in the weeds daily. The educators, the school leaders, and the students. Ask them what they need." Auditi agreed, saying that part of why she signed the letter was to expand who we see as experts and remind people to listen to them: to 'educators, school districts and community leaders, folks who are close to the problems and challenges and needs.' Iyengar offered a provocative thought on what drives change more broadly: "I think donors are looking for unicorn breakthrough idea that will change the world, but the history of movement building says it's a bunch of efforts pulled together that will really drive meaningful change." * * * In a time of scorching divisions, interviewees felt compelled by the call to act with collective spirit. They were motivated to speak out in a shared voice about the enormous potential of our nation's children and a belief that, as Brookins put it, education was our way of 'fulfilling a promise to our youngest generation and our ancestors' at the same time. The letter closes with a call to action: 'let's commit to this for the generations, for our children and our children's children, to build the future we all want to live in. Our students and our country's future urgently call on us to recommit to their potential and to the limitless potential of what they can achieve when we invest in them and tackle the challenges that hold back their learning.' The opportunity to sign on remains open.
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