Equity & Grantmaking Funder Meetup: Equitable Approaches to Evaluating Impact

August 23, 2023, 2:00 pm ET

EdFunders members are invited to join the Equity & Grantmaking Impact Group for a funder meetup to explore approaches to evaluating grantmaking impact and the implications for equitable grantmaking practice. 

We’ll hear from two peer funders and then have time for reflections and applying the ideas to our own grantmaking practice.

The program runs for 90 minutes. This event is open to members of Grantmakers for Education.

Speakers

Nora Flood
Education Lead/Education Rabble Rouser
Wend Collective 

Nora’s official title is Education Rabble Rouser for the Wend Collective, a social impact fund that supports learner-centered, student fit experiences for all youth.  Nora joined Wend after serving for nine years at the Colorado League of Charter Schools, first as the Vice President of School Services and then as President.  Nora has over thirty years of experience in education as a teacher and principal in international, traditional public, charter public, and private schools.  She was the co-founder of The Classical Academy in Minneapolis, served as Head of School of Madison Country Day School and as Director of Sonoma Charter School.  Nora’s passion is ensuring equity, access, and opportunity for all families to meet their priorities and their children’s needs.  Her work supports innovative school and program designs, collaborating with local, state, national and international pedagogues and practitioners, and exploring partnerships with like-minded organizations to create systems change from the bottom up.

Nora splits time between Sister Bay, Wisconsin and Steamboat Springs, Colorado with her husband Mark and their two labradoodles, Webster and Brooks.

Toscha Blalock
Chief Learning & Evaluation Officer & Co-Director
Trust for Learning

Toscha Blalock is an early childhood education professional with extensive experience in the leadership, administration, and evaluation of programs and systems. Currently serving as one of Trust for Learning’s co-directors and Chief Learning and Evaluation Officer, Toscha uses her professional expertise and unique life experiences to develop and support individuals, programs, and networks to faithfully and nimbly adopt ideal learning practices. Toscha’s experience spans a variety of ECE roles including Program Quality Assessment Supervisor in Pennsylvania’s QRIS program, Keystone STARS, and as the grantee/administrator of a federally-funded Early Head Start program in Greater Philadelphia serving families and children with high-impact results. Toscha has also held research team positions at Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE). 

Toscha has been married to her amazing spouse, Marshall, for over 30 years and is mother to Malek, now a young adult. She was deeply impacted by her own upbringing by a single mother along with the support of a loving extended family. She attended Head Start as a child, has lived experience in breaking the cycle of poverty, and is committed to improving the quality of life for children and families, especially in underserved black and brown communities.