Grantmakers for Education 2024
Coalescing Philanthropy
Shifting the philanthropic sector to build winning movements has meant venturing into uncharted territory, sharing discoveries and insights as we go. Schott’s donor partners support these initiatives and research opportunities.
Encouraging philanthropy to make long-term investments in racial justice organizations and movement-building.
Contributor: Melissa Daar Carvajal
In 2024, Schott’s EndowNow campaign gained strong support from donor partners, presenting this innovative grantmaking strategy to address racial justice and other systemic challenges. The campaign utilizes a multi-faceted approach to encourage philanthropy to invest long-term in essential racial justice organizations to ensure sustainability and greater impact.
Let’s Build Assets for Racial Equity featured Schott’s President and CEO, Dr. Jackson, as its first expert in a new series on the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s (CEP) blog. In the blog, Dr. Jackson responds to CEP’s latest research and adds his perspectives on endowment grantmaking. “As a Black foundation leader, shifting resources and power to organizations of color is not just personal: it’s strategic.”
Stay tuned for phase two of the EndowNow campaign as Schott explores moving to a more “LEED certification” type of model.
Caption: DSC member Friends and Families of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children
Building endowments to sustain three national racial justice alliances
Contributor: Melissa Daar Carvajal
Schott’s Racial Justice in Education Endowment (RJEE) Fund is a groundbreaking $30m fund, raising capital for endowments to ensure the stability of three BIPOC-led national education justice alliances. Once funded, these endowments will shift power to the people closest to their public school communities and allow them to become less dependent on the whims of philanthropy. It will give these movement organizations the stability and sustainability to win victories and close racial disparities.
Recent Philos interviewees.
Informing donor changemakers working to shift the sector to justice and equity through Schott’s quarterly journal.
Contributor: Patrick St. John
Through in-depth interviews with philanthropic leaders and innovators, alongside explorations of useful research for grantmakers, Philos is helping build a new consensus in the sector: one rooted in bold strategy, centered in communities, and focused on advancing racial equity.
In 2024, Philos released new data on billions of K-12 grantmaking, discussed how to fund democracy beyond election day, and learned how some funders spend down to maximize their impact.
Assessing philanthropy’s commitment to racial equity and justice in education.
Contributor: Patrick St. John
Justice Is The Foundation is Schott’s data project to better understand the philanthropic sector: what we’re doing right and what most needs change. In collaboration with Candid, Schott’s latest report (Feb 2024) reveals that racial equity funding remains disproportionately smaller than what is needed to have the impact on public education that so many funders have committed to, especially since 2020.
