Latest Our Blog

Perspectives: Building Nonprofit Capacity, Hand in Hand

As nonprofits turn to funders for support beyond grantmaking dollars, foundations can play a strategic, hands-on role in helping them become more cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable. Anu Malipatil and Lucy Brainard describe how capacity building and trust-based philanthropy can work in concert to build grantees’ organizational capacities and lead to long-term success.

Students working on laptops

Perspectives: As Technology Use Explodes in Classrooms, Philanthropy Must Help Ensure All Students Benefit

Technology has the potential to play a significant role in improving engagement with families, assessing student progress, and providing personalized learning solutions. But to have a real impact, edtech tools need to be evaluated and refined before they're made available at scale. John Overdeck, President of Overdeck Family Foundation, points to the need for philanthropic investment in new innovations and ongoing evidence-building to ensure these solutions improve learning for all students.

Our Predictions for 2023

Our leadership team sat down to reflect on what they’ve seen across the education and philanthropic landscape, in addition to what the Foundation has learned from peer funders and grantees this past year. In this post, each department leader shares predictions for what they expect to see in 2023.

Child stands holding tablet with parent

Perspectives: Why Digital STEM Initiatives Are a Critical Investment Right Now

As was the case pre-Covid, many students continue to score below proficient in STEM subjects, with low-income, Black, and Hispanic students on average far behind where they would have been if not for Covid-related learning disruptions. Gemma Lenowitz calls for investment in affordable and scalable digital solutions that can help close this widening gap by engaging students in STEM learning beyond the classroom.

two educators read at the front of the classroom

Perspectives: It’s Time to Rethink the ‘One Teacher, One Classroom’ Model

Stephanie Banchero of The Joyce Foundation and Irene Chen write about why the traditional school staffing model must be reimagined. This challenging moment in education is an opportunity for district and school leaders to embrace innovative, differentiated staffing that creatively utilizes educators and plays to their strengths—positioning schools for long-term success.