Our Blog

Spotlight on Innovation: Reflections on GenAI Investments and Trends in Education

Over the last two years, we’ve made over $13 million in commitments to organizations building, scaling, or learning about AI-powered interventions in Pre-K-12 education. To inform how we pursue genAI investments in 2025 and beyond, we analyzed our grantmaking efforts and trends we’re seeing in the broader landscape. Jon Sotsky shares five reflections from this exercise focused on the progress, challenges, and dynamics we’re observing through the efforts of our grantees and others in the field.

Spotlight On Evidence: Investing in Family Engagement Programs That Work

As schools face increased student disengagement and uneven academic recovery, there’s a critical need to identify effective approaches to strengthen family-school partnerships—starting with investments in evidence-based solutions. Meghan McCormick details the evidence base guiding our Foundation's decision-making for investments in this space.

Q1 2024 Funding Announcement

In Q1 2024, our foundation awarded 53 grants totaling over $14 million. Here, we highlight just some of the organizations we’re proud to support this quarter as we kick off our 2024 grantmaking.

Spotlight On Growth: TalkingPoints

The first installation of our new interview series, “Spotlight On,” features Lina Eroh in conversation with Heejae Lim, founder and CEO of TalkingPoints. Together, they discuss TalkingPoints’ growth trajectory, the platform’s use of AI to foster family-school partnerships, and how technology will continue to shape the future of education.

Perspectives: Education Success Starts With Family Involvement. Why Aren’t Donors Funding It?

Families’ involvement in their children’s learning is a vital component in academic achievement, but for a number of reasons, can often be a challenge for parents and caregivers. Stephanie Sharp and Ambika Kapur urge education funders to prioritize investing in evidence-based supports to help schools and families overcome barriers to engagement, improving outcomes for children.

10 Lessons From 10 Years

Anu Malipatil, Vice President, Education, shares her lessons learned with the philanthropic sector, inspired by a decade of experience leading Overdeck Family Foundation.

Perspectives: Schools Must Know If Their Learning-Loss Programs Work — Before ESSER Funds End

Since the pandemic began, the federal government has provided nearly $190 billion in education funding to states and districts. As these rapid-relief dollars are set to expire, Anu Malipatil suggests that now is the time for schools and districts to assess whether the dollars have made a difference, and use that insight to inform what funding should be spent on going forward.

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.

Q1 2023 Funding Announcement

In Q1 2023, our foundation awarded 31 grants totaling over $15.4 million. Of these, 10 grants were new, 15 were renewals, and six were disbursements for ongoing pledges. This post highlights just some of the many organizations we’re proud to support this quarter as we begin our 2023 grantmaking.

Over of Overdeck Family Foundation's 2022 Grantmaking & Impact Report

Available Now: 2022 Grantmaking & Impact Report

In 2022, Overdeck Family Foundation disbursed over $50.6 million to 97 organizations that collectively reach 57 million children, two million families, and 147,000 educators. Our 2022 Grantmaking & Impact Report shares key grantmaking outcomes, lessons learned, and stories of how our funding helped grantees unlock innovation, evidence, and growth.

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