Giving Compass
  • Sign In
  • About Us
    About Giving Compass How We Choose Content and Organizations Annual Reflections Our Newsletter
  • Getting Started
  • Learn About Issues
    Topic Guides
    Animal Welfare COVID-19 Criminal Justice Democracy Disaster Relief Education Environment Health Homelessness Immigrants and Refugees Racial Equity Women and Girls
    Curated Articles
    Partner Collections Giving Compass Selections See All Articles
  • Give to Causes
    Issue Funds & Intermediaries Projects Nonprofits
  • Get Involved
    Philanthropy Resource Directory Events Volunteer Opportunities
  • Partner With Us
    Nonprofits Authors Use Our Content Services Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Sign Up
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Sign In

Embracing the Next Stage of Education Philanthropy

Grantmakers for Education Dec 10, 2020
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
Click here for more.
Embracing the Next Stage of Education Philanthropy Giving Compass
  •  Share
  •  Save
Share

Giving Compass' Take:

• Grantmakers for Education (GFE) surveyed its members to take a deeper dive at the direction of education philanthropy in this evolving time, identifying relevant issues and priority areas for funders.

• Where are there opportunities for funders to address systemic change in education?

• Read more on education and the role of philanthropy. 


The potential for philanthropy to help shape the future of the American system of education has never been greater. Change is happening. But there is no guarantee that this change will result in improved and equitable educational outcomes for learners. Education funders must determine from an array of opportunities and needs where to focus their resources to leverage the change they hope to see in how our nation’s education system functions and serves learners going forward.

Where could funders make a difference now?

Grantmakers for Education (GFE) surveyed our members and others supporting education philanthropy to understand where they as individuals see the greatest opportunities for leveraging action in this quickly evolving reality. Our focus on capturing individual perspectives reflects our view that individual voice is a leading indicator of how institutional priorities and strategies may evolve. Reflecting back the outlook of individuals is especially critical during a time of rapid societal transformation.

Benefiting from the insights of a set of member advisors, we identified issues highly relevant to the current moment to home in on five interlocking themes we believe are central to the future of education:

  • Pre-K-12 Educational Improvement
  • Racial Justice in Education
  • Civic Education and Students
  • Postsecondary and Workforce Success
  • Philanthropy in an Inequitable System

Within these major themes, we identified a subset of 41 specific priority areas that could be rated on three criteria critical for assessing where education funders see the greatest potential for catalyzing change. (See “Thematic Priority Areas” for a complete listing of the 41 priority areas within each of the five major thematic areas.) These criteria include:

  • Urgency—Has addressing the priority area become more or less urgent in the current environment?
  • Opportunity—Is there an opportunity for systemic change in the priority area given the current environment?
  • Philanthropy—Is philanthropy an essential part of accelerating systemic change in the priority area?

Read the full PDF about education philanthropy at Grantmakers for Education. 

  •  Share
  •  Save
Share

Since you are interested in philanthropy research, have you read these selections from Giving Compass related to impact giving and philanthropy research?

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Systems Change: An Emerging Practice in Impact Investing

    Giving Compass' Take: • Enclude studies and promotes impact investment as a vehicle for systems change to tackle interdependent issues such as climate change and inequality. • What are your guiding principles that lead your investment strategy? How can your strategy be improved and/or expanded?   • Learn how to get started impact investing. As we face unprecedented levels of inequality, persistent and widespread discrimination, and unsustainable exploitation of the earth’s resources, it is no longer a choice—it is imperative that we find ways to bend economic power in service of social justice. Any attempt to do this must acknowledge up front that the private sector, and the investors who supply its capital, bear our share of responsibility for creating the very problems we seek to solve. Are investors with positive impact goals fundamentally improving the system that produced the problems in the first place, or only treating symptoms? And how can investors identify solutions that are likely to spark long-term positive change, without triggering negative unintended consequences elsewhere in the system? These are other questions are motivating investors to understand the underlying causes to social and environmental problems and to identify holistic solutions to advance positive systems change. This report by Enclude and Open Society Foundations highlights how investors are engaging in this systems thinking, to galvanise more investors towards coordinated action. This thinking has been spurred by current and interrelated challenges. For example, climate scientists have warned us that we have only 12 years to limit the climate change catastrophe. At the same time, extreme inequality continues to grow further. Climate change and inequality are highly interdependent, with disadvantaged people facing disproportionate exposure to the adverse effects of climate change. And in a vicious cycle, the consequences of climate change on poor and vulnerable communities in turn exacerbates inequality. These challenges are accelerated (and often caused) by a failed economic system. This report demonstrates how investors can widen the scope of intentionality by looking at how problems affect one another. In this way, they can begin to avoid unintended consequences of their investments or activities while imagining new ways of achieving larger scale social change


Looking for a way to get involved?

A good way to complement your interest in Children and Youth is to connect with others. Check out these events, galas, conferences or volunteering opportunities related to Children and Youth.

Loading...
Learn More

Are you ready to give?

If you are ready to take action and invest in causes for Children and Youth, check out these Giving Funds, Charitable Organizations and Projects related to Children and Youth.

Loading...
Learn More
Connect

Loading...

Loading...

Learn More
Take Action

Loading...

Loading...

Loading...

Learn More
More from
Giving Compass
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    How Pre-K Plans May Have Increased Racial and Socio-economic Disparities
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    The Best Practices for Diversity and Inclusion That Will Lead to Effective Philanthropy
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Understanding the Relationship and Impact Between Tech, Philanthropy and Civil Society
Follow Us
Newsletter

Become a newsletter subscriber to stay up-to-date on the latest Giving Compass news.

About Us
  • About Giving Compass
  • In The News
  • Contact Us
  • Content at Giving Compass
  • Partner With Us
Trending Issues
  • Environment
  • Homelessness
  • STEM Education
  • Equal Pay Act
  • Gender Equality

Copyright © 2021, Giving Compass, LLC

•
  • Privacy Policy
  • User Agreement

Sign in

Your personal information is confidential at Giving Compass. For more information, please visit our privacy policy. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use.