Foundation Awards 931 Grants to Fight for Equity in Education over 25 years

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Aug. 31, 2017

Contact:
communications@schottfoundation.org
646-561-8775

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— Since its founding the Schott Foundation for Public Education has contributed more than $38 million through 931 grants to organizations fighting for fair and just schools and improved outcomes for students of color.

The most recent fiscal year marks 25 years of service to education justice in the United States, and the foundation is pleased to announce one of its biggest years of grantmaking: $2.1 million to 68 organizations around the country.

Providing grant support has always been just a starting point for the foundation’s partnerships with education justice organizations. Schott also provides training to grassroots organizations on communicating more effectively to build public will for systemic change, technical assistance and support for their policy and advocacy goals. In addition, the foundation works to create opportunities for grantees and allies to connect, learn from one another, and develop strategic collaborations.  In addition to direct grants, Schott also helps raise additional funds to support the work of its grantees over and above what it gives directly.

All this added support has enabled Schott to leverage another $70 million for the education justice field.

“We were founded a quarter-century ago with an abiding belief in the power of philanthropy to create opportunity and help solve our nation’s biggest problems,” said Dr. John H. Jackson, Schott President and CEO.

“Education is a cornerstone of opportunity in America and the key to addressing many of our greatest social challenges. We are committed to improving public education so that all children, particularly children of color, poor children, and those with special needs, are able to fully participate in, fully contribute to, and fully benefit from our democracy.”

Schott’s investments are part of a long-term strategy to strengthen grassroots movements fighting for fully resourced, high-quality public schools in every community. In FY17, funding was distributed to:

• Seven regional education justice organizing campaigns in Massachusetts, New York, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, California, and Chicago.
•  Three national campaigns
  • Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools
  • Journey for Justice
  • Dignity in Schools Campaign
• Policy, research, and communications organizations supporting race equity and social justice knowledge building, including:
  • The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University
  • Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
  • Education Week
  • UCLA Civil Rights Project
  • The Center for Policing Equity
• Grants to support networking, grantee technical assistance, and a documentary.

A complete list of Schott grantee partners is on its website: https://schottfoundation.org/our-work/grantmaking.

The Schott Foundation for Public Education aims to develop and strengthen a broad-based and representative movement to achieve fully resourced, quality PreK-12 public education. Schott’s core belief is that well-resourced grassroots campaigns can lead to systemic change in the disparities poor children and children of color face in our nation’s schools. In helping to build these campaigns into a movement, Schott recognizes its pivotal role as both funder and advocate to ensure that all children have an opportunity to learn.