schott 2023 impact report
Introduction
Letters from Schott President and CEO Dr. John H. Jackson and Board Chair Alandra Washington
Welcome to Schott Foundation’s 2023 Impact Report. As Chair of the Board, I am excited to share with you Schott’s impact over the past year – accomplished through Schott’s long-standing partnerships with grassroot education justice organizations and the philanthropic donors who support them through Schott. I invite you to explore this report and the data, stories and videos that highlight progress over the last year. We greatly appreciate your collaboration and support.
Public schools play a powerful and unifying role in communities. The recent school board elections were an encouraging moment to recognize the substantial support for inclusive and accurate public education in communities across the country. It is an election proof of the power of grassroots movement building.
It’s no accident: student, parent and educator organizers have been successfully advancing culturally responsive curriculum, inclusive policies, mental health support and equitable funding in communities across the country. Schott strengthens this organizing infrastructure through pooled resources and technical assistance.
At the board level, we welcomed three new members joining the board, Kenneth Jones, Tomeka Hart Wigginton, and Marc Philpart. We are committed to this important work and are excited about the opportunities ahead. We continue to think about how to ensure these grassroots organizations who are core to our multi-racial democracy are sustained and supported well into the future.
We look forward to connecting with you in the coming year.
Best,
Alandra
Alandra Washington
Chair, Schott Foundation Board of Directors
Dear Partner,
Thank you for being with us – for being part of the solution – for imagining and investing in the opportunity to learn for all children. The key to progress lies in acting on the collective vision and dreams that we have the resources, skills and capacity to turn into a reality. If there’s any sector that can take the risk of coalescing, and cultivating dreams, it is the philanthropic sector.
Investing in grassroots organizing for racial justice in public education means we are also investing in our multi-racial democracy, the health and wellness of children and families, the support for educators facing pressure and being challenged on teaching honest history. It is investing in loving communities.
We believe our role at Schott is to work as a partner to philanthropy, securing resources for the Black, brown and Indigenous communities across the country who work tirelessly to bend the arc towards justice. By providing technical assistance and ensuring grassroots voices are at the table for policy creation and research design, Schott believes that transformative change can and should happen at the local, state, and national levels.
To achieve this transformation, partners need long-term resources to give them the flexibility and security to sustain their work through challenging times. As one of our grantee partners, Nathaniel Smith from the Partnership for Southern Equity, says we can’t solve systemic racism in a grant cycle. As a long-term partner to our grantees, we see first-hand the impact that is possible whether it be winning funding equity in states, reversing entrenched school discipline policies, or building momentum and support for our public schools.
Thank you for your continued investment. Your support of Schott is a critical part of our ability to fund our partners like we want them to win. And win they must.
In solidarity,
John
Dr. John H. Jackson
President and CEO, Schott Foundation