Jan 2023

2023 Program Highlights at Grantmakers for Education

EdFunders News

We are excited to launch a new year of programming to serve you, our members and education funder colleagues. Our programs provide new connections, inspire creating thinking and help philanthropy serve as a catalyst for creating a just world. We invite you to engage in lively virtual programming, in-person deeper learning opportunities, learning groups and with new resources and more.

In-Person Programming

  • Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia from October 10-12, 2023. We are looking forward to being together again to connect, learn and celebrate. Our preconference activities will include the next round of our Equity Fellowship which got really positive feedback this year. Look for information about this year’s theme and session proposal process coming soon.
  • Education Grantmakers Institute at Harvard University from May 2-4, 2023. Join us for three days of learning with EdFunders members from around the country. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with Harvard faculty from across different departments as they explore research and policy that can inform equity-focused grantmaking practice.
  • Study Tour of the Four Corners Region of New Mexico, April 26-28, 2023. EdFunders’ Postsecondary Access and Attainment (PSA2) Impact Group is sponsoring a learning visit to the Four Corners region of New Mexico. Look for more details soon.
  • Transforming Cities into Learning Ecosystems, fall 2023. We’ll partner with the Brookings Institution for a funder meeting and city tour that highlights a playful approach to transforming cities into learning ecosystems. Stay tuned for more details. 

The Future of Smart Podcast – Season 2

  • The Grantmakers for Education’s podcast, The Future of Smart, has made it into the top 25% of podcasts nationally thanks to our listeners! Hosted by Chief Program Officer Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen, the podcast explores familiar topics through an unfamiliar lens, examining some of our deepest assumptions about education. We’ll finish up Season 1 in the new year, then launch Season 2 in spring 2023.
  • Check out our upcoming social media feed for #EdFundersLive conversations with folks from the 2022 Grantmakers for Education conference in Austin. Interviewees shared their visions for education moving forward.

Webinars

Last year we held over 50 virtual programs. We plan to offer another year of robust programming, so be sure to follow our program calendar closely. Virtual programming will continue to explore the possibilities being presented at the local, state and national levels as we rebuild from the disruptions of COVID and navigate a politically-charged landscape.

  • Honest Education in America: Building Truth and Inclusion in the Classroom- February 1, 3:00 pm ET. Join an engaging conversation with the Voices for Honest Education Fellows, State Teachers of the Year who are working across the country and in target states to address education gag orders and support student-affirming public education through media, teacher and policy engagement.
  • Funder Dialogue with U.S. Department of Education on Priorities for Latino Students - January 31 plus dates TBA. We're working with the Council on Foundations and Hispanics in Philanthropy on a three-part series on the department's priorities and programs in 2023. The first will be a meet-and-greet with Secretary Cardona at the end of January. Register here for the January 31 program; details and registration for the otehrs coming soon.
  • Elevating Youth Voices Through Arts-Integrated Teaching – Date TBD. This webinar will highlight a school-based arts education residency program for third-graders that aims to promote students’ social and emotional development and creative self-efficacy.
  • Innovations in Math – Date TBA. In October 2022, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it will fund $1.1 billion in K-12 math investments over the next four years. This investment marks the beginning of a decade-long strategy to prioritize math gains, particularly for Black, Latino and low-income students, making the subject its primary K-12 investment for the next decade. Join panelists including Bob Hughes of the Gates Foundation and Joel Rose of New Classrooms for a conversation about the state of math education today including what it means to modernize the math curricula, how we can create equitable math pathways for a changing economy and innovations in math curriculum.
  • What the Latest NAEP Scores Tell Philanthropy – Date TBA. There has been an enormous amount of discussion about the drop in test scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Report Card released in October 2022. But what exactly does this drop in scores tell us? How should the drops be interpreted in light of the massive upheavals to the system as a result of the pandemic, which disproportionately had an impact on the lives of the very same students whose scores dropped? How can philanthropy avoid reactive investments in favor of strategies that address root causes?
  • Trends in Education Philanthropy – Date TBD. Based on the data from our latest benchmarking survey, we’ll highlight the latest trends and strategies in the field to help you situate your work and navigate the changing philanthropic environment.
  • Program Videos. Remember that most of our web programs are posted to our YouTube channel so that you can revisit highlights or catch up on any that you missed. Subscribe to be notified when we post new webinars.
  • Much more to come!

Impact and Learning Groups

The power of our community lies in bringing together insightful minds to gather, share and exchange possibilities, generating outcomes not possible on our own. Impact and learning groups provide one way to harness these opportunities.

Equity and Grantmaking Impact Group. We were excited to launch this new impact group in 2022. Our first cohort of 37 members will be wrapping up a six-month learning arc in February. We welcome more members to co-design new programs this spring. If you’re interested in joining, email programs@edfunders.org.

Purpose of School Learning Group. Building off a successful pre-conference event in Austin, we will be organizing a learning journey into the purpose of school in 2023. Explore the contours of critical questions in education and what a shift in perspective means for the work of education grantmakers.

  • What is the purpose of education? What would a new narrative that centers human flourishing and well-being include?
  • In a transformed system what would we value and how would we measure the system’s success against those values?
  • What investments would be needed in the short, medium and long-term to develop the capacity of leaders in education and adjacent sectors to build this new vision?

To learn more or join, email programs@edfunders.org.

More Collaboration Opportunities. Check out our other active impact groups including:

Have an idea for a new learning or impact group? Contact programs@edfunders.org.

Trends in Education Philanthropy

The Grantmakers for Education benchmarking survey will be distributed in January 2023. We encourage all members organizations and other funders we have contacted to have the appropriate members of their team complete the questionnaire to help us gather data about trends in education grantmaking over recent years. The benchmarking report will be released in Q2 of 2023, and we’ll present the findings in a webinar. Questions? Reach out to communications@edfunders.org.

Share Your Ideas, Events and Resources

We are here to provide learning opportunities for what matters to you, so we welcome your ideas for future programs. We also welcome the opportunity to co-produce programs with members. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to programs@edfunders.org.

We also provide a platform for sharing your events and resources with our community on our website. To have your event or resource considered for inclusion, you can make a quick submission here:

We look forward to creating an exciting year of learning opportunities and connection together in 2023!