NEW ORLEANS, June 21, 2019 – Today, 4.0 announced the launch of its next fundraising campaign, Fund III, with matching $5 million donations from the Charles Koch Foundation (CKF) and the Walton Family Foundation (WFF).

Fund III will support 600 diverse education entrepreneurs in incubating, testing and launching innovative approaches to education that will transform America’s education system by creating more high-quality schools and programs that meet the unique needs of students and communities. The CKF and WFF combined gifts of $10 million comprise two-thirds of the entire goal for Fund III.

“Genius is evenly distributed. Access to opportunity is not. Our third fund will move $15M in resources closer to local communities to affirm their visions of the future of school,” says Hassan Hassan, CEO at 4.0.

“For every child to reach their full potential, we must invest in diverse leaders who have the lived experience to understand the needs of their community and the technical expertise to design relevant solutions. We are proud to partner with the Walton Family Foundation and Charles Koch Foundation on our shared vision of investing in community-led innovation."

Fund III will pilot an expected 500 new schools, programs and education tools across the country.

4.0 Fellows supported through Fund III will undergo a process that includes rigorous evaluation and feedback on their development as leaders and on the design and impact of the ventures they dream of creating. 4.0 collects data at every stage along this continuum in order to help Fellows develop tomorrow’s proven learning models.

The data and insights gleaned through Fund III Fellows will be published to add to the field’s growing body of knowledge on diverse and innovative school models.

“We are proud to continue our support of 4.0 and the education innovators that are driving change in the way we think about and deliver education,” said Marc Sternberg, K-12 Education Program Director at the Walton Family Foundation. “To realize the vision of an excellent school for every child, we need a new generation of forward-thinking education leaders finding creative approaches to teaching and learning that engage and excite students.”

This is the fourth gift by the WFF and the first by the CKF, a member of the Stand Together community.

“4.0 fuels the creative ideas of aspiring education entrepreneurs in local communities,” said Meredith Olson, K-12 initiative Vice President at Stand Together. “By experimenting and sharing knowledge, together they are discovering and launching solutions to meet the unique educational needs of their children and neighbors.”

4.0 is driving innovation in American education. From EdTech companies and educator training to early learning and apprentice programs, 4.0 Fellows work to bring new solutions to children in their communities.

Through previous Funds I and II, 4.0 has supported more than 1,000 alumni who now serve more than one million students. Fund III will accelerate 4.0’s vision to build a brighter future of school through community-led innovation in education and personalized, accessible pathways for youth and families.

About 4.0

4.0 is the largest and earliest investor in education today. To find tomorrow’s proven learning models, we need to invest in piloting promising models today. However, there’s a severe shortage of rigorous, early-stage investing in the next-generation of innovators in education. We connect, coach, and invest in curious people to run pilots with students and families that validate demand and efficacy of promising schools, learning spaces and tools. Learn more about 4.0 here.

About Charles Koch Foundation

The Charles Koch Foundation supports research, educational programs, and civil discourse to advance an understanding of how people can best live together in peace and prosperity. The Foundation provides grants to support a wide range of inquiry on issues including criminal justice and policing reform, free speech and open inquiry, foreign policy, economic opportunity, and innovation.

About Walton Family Foundation
The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. The children and grandchildren of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. In 2018, the foundation awarded more than $595 million in grants in support of these initiatives. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.