Philanthropy Pulse Check: February 2026

February Pulse Check
RESULTS

Respondents overwhelmingly agree that cross-sector and cross-system collaboration are needed to advance education innovation and impact but differ on the most promising approaches.

Among respondents focused on cross-system opportunities, several emphasized the importance of employing a “broader ecosystem lens,” even if a funder’s focus is far more narrow. As one respondent observed, “Education systems need to work with the community, nonprofits, government, and business” to understand community needs. “Children bring these to school each day…How can we meet children’s needs without listening and working together?”

A number of respondents identified more specific promising opportunities for cross-system collaboration, with the most commonly cited focus areas including health and mental health, human services, and workforce development. Other suggested focus areas for collaboration included systems addressing housing and student homelessness.

Several respondents identified approaches potentially relevant to both cross-sector and cross-system collaboration as having the greatest potential for nurturing education innovation and generating impact. These included recommendations such as “in-person convenings that are targeted and well facilitated,” “communications that emphasize the same narrative oceans,” “following [students] across systems,” and matrixed strategies, which are “the most challenging and risky to stand up [and] the most impactful.”

Finally, one respondent recommended a cross-sector collaborative approach engaging local and national funders in developing “new models, new concepts, and new ideas in education,” followed by multiple concurrent pilot studies at the local level. This would help “establish new ideas more quickly, iterate, and [determine] which pilots could be scaled and implemented to improve quality education for all.”

Source: Grantmakers for Education, 2026. Based on 28 responses.