11 am -12:15 pm PST (2-3:15 pm EST)

Web Seminar Presented by Grantmakers for Education in Partnership with the Council on Foundations, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers and Foundations for Education Excellence.

Growing numbers of funders are investing in new and emerging ideas to produce the next generation of education reforms. Recognizing that philanthropy's resources are well-positioned to serve as risk capital, these funders have made grants to incubate and scale new approaches to improve student outcomes or educator effectiveness. While some funders are seeking to bring models to scale nationally, there is an equally important role for community-based funders to support the development and adoption of new approaches in their own communities. What lessons can these local funders share with other place-based grantmakers? What should local funders know about accelerating educational improvement in their communities by leveraging opportunities presented by the federal Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund, which is expected to launch in late February?

In this web seminar, Gregg Behr of The Grable Foundation, Jim Pitofsky of the Arizona Community Foundation and Jennifer Esterline of the KDK-Harman Foundation will share compelling models for how place-based funders can incubate innovation locally. Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Jim Shelton and Special Assistant to the Secretary Suzanne Immerman from the U.S. Department of Education will share their perspectives on how local investments in innovation can amplify the impact of the i3 Fund. GFE's Chris Tebben will moderate, sharing top-line findings on innovation funding trends and engaging program participants in conversation with the presenters. This web seminar will highlight creative ways that community-based funders can support the development of new models and strategies for accelerating gains at points across the education pipeline; a companion February 16 web seminar on funding opportunities around ARRA will be announced shortly.

Registration

This web seminar is free to education grantmakers.

Advance registration is required by COB February 8. A brief survey is included as part of the registration process; your answers will guide the planning and content of the seminar.