Every child deserves a school that fuels a passion for learning and prepares them for a life of unlimited opportunity. This is possible when educators are trusted to innovate so they can meet the unique needs of every student.
We rely on visionary educators closest to the challenges our students face because they are also closest to the solution. With dedicated resources, education leaders can innovate to solve the most pressing issues facing our students and schools.
This belief led to the creation of the Walton Family Foundation’s Innovative Schools Program.
Launched in 2017, the program supports educators who open all types of schools that look and feel truly different and can help students achieve at the highest level.
So far 14 schools have received a total of $4 million in funding to open their doors and put students on a path to upward economic and social mobility. Nearly all the schools were founded by former classroom teachers.
Due to overwhelming interest, we are launching the third round of the Innovative Schools Program. We encourage educators from every corner of the country – those who are thinking big about how schools can adapt to our rapidly changing world – to apply. Each applicant is eligible for up to $325,000 in funding to turn their ideas into action.
In the coming weeks, we will feature some of the success stories from the first rounds of the Innovative Schools Program in a series of videos that we know will inspire others to innovate in their own way. You’ll meet families and educators from Build UP in Birmingham, Alabama, TLC in Orange, California and CICS Boys Lab in Chicago, Illinois.
I hope you are as excited by these people and ideas as we are and that you will join us in this work.
