Mar 2026
Philanthropy Pulse Check: March 2026
March 2026 Philanthropy Pulse Check
RESULTS
Respondents see multiple factors contributing to a need for new, more expansive approaches to achieving impact in education.
In considering why more education funders may be calling for “big thinking” to achieve impact, several cited the failure of educational systems to meet the needs of today’s learners. Among the perspectives expressed, one respondent noted, “Our current systems don’t work, especially for marginalized students,” while another observed, “We have a system that has not been working for all children/youth for decades.”
Perceived shortcomings in how philanthropy approaches supporting education also drew attention from respondents. “Many education funders are calling for more ‘big thinking’ because the scale of the challenges facing public education have outgrown the way philanthropy has traditionally operated,” concluded this respondent. “Too often, funding remains program-specific, short-term, and disconnected from the day-to-day realities inside schools.”
Respondents offered various proposals for engaging education funders in supporting new, more expansive approaches. One respondent cited the potential of participatory funding, which entails “trusting the insight and lived expertise of students, families, and educators and building funding models that bring them into the process…At a time when trust in institutions is fragile, sharing power may be one of the most important ‘big ideas’ education philanthropy can embrace.”
Other suggestions ranged from “being willing to engage in conversations about and supporting projects that fully reimagine learning both from an instructional perspective and the learning environment itself,” to building solutions around the way the brain works rather than trying to maintain conventional educational approaches, to flexing the school day so that students can engage in “experiential learning opportunities that align with the credit bearing system.”
Source: Grantmakers for Education, 2026. Based on 18 responses.