Change takes time. Change takes trust.

It takes sticking with a grassroots organization, building their capacity over time, and continuing to fund courageous organizers through the inevitable ups and downs.

Schott was founded at the beginning of a 30-year battle that just won a landmark victory for the children of New York. We were at the strategy table and an early funder as the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) and then the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) organized to secure equitable funding for New York schools, particularly the schools in low-income communities, attended predominantly by children of color. The massive, Dickensian difference in funding between schools that sometimes are mere blocks from each other has been a hallmark of New York’s public education system for generations. But with this victory, “The school aid in this year’s state budget has the potential to change the experiences and opportunities our children have in their public schools for years to come,” as AQE Executive Director Jasmine Gripper says.

The note we received from Zakiyah Ansari, AQE’s long-time Advocacy Director, is the kind of message that we in philanthropy live for: “We did it! Finally! We could not have done this without Schott. You believed in the work and put your money into investing in AQE and the fight over the years to bring it home. When we fight, we win! Thank you, Schott. Thank you, Schott founders, the Leeds family.”

We all must keep fighting. That’s how systemic change happens. That’s how the arc of history is bent toward justice.

Today, we’re taking a moment to celebrate—and wanted to share this exciting news with each of you—as the wins that improve the lives and opportunities for children sustain us all.