In an increasingly individualistic society in which the economic forecast has been uncertain for the past several years, independent schools have struggled to understand donors' motivations for giving. In addition, schools continually examine the way their annual giving campaigns articulate how donors' gifts align with the schools' missions and…

Quality pre-primary education is widely recognized as crucial in providing children with the foundation to succeed, but many countries face obstacles in adequately funding scale-up of the pre-primary subsector. A major impediment to the expansion of early childhood education (ECE) is limited data on the cost-effectiveness of existing pre-primary…

Grantmakers for Education's "Trends in Education Philanthropy: Benchmarking 2018-19" report offers insights on the current and evolving priorities of the education funding community. It can help funders to understand their role in supporting education innovation and identify future priorities that hold the greatest promise for benefiting…

In our 2019 annual report, we provide insight into our sponsorship work during the year and the performance of our sponsored schools. We are also pleased to highlight the good work of our colleagues on Fordham's policy and research teams. Our schools' academic performance shows several schools doing very well on Ohio's value added (growth) measure…

The 2017-18 school year saw our sponsorship portfolio grow from 4,100 students in 2016-17 to 4,800 students across five Ohio cities: Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Portsmouth. We're also honored to have been recognized by the National Association for Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) as part of NACSA's Quality Practice Project.…

The 2014 Fordham Sponsorship Annual Report is our opportunity to share the Fordham Foundation's work as the sponsor of eleven schools serving 3,200 students, and our related policy work in Ohio and nationally. We are fortunate as an organization that our policy work benefits our sponsorship efforts; and, that our lessons from sponsorship inform…

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's sponsorship annual report highlights our work with eleven schools that served 4,150 students in five Ohio cities during the 2016-17 school year. We value this opportunity to keep stakeholders and the public informed about our efforts, and provide information on each of the schools that we sponsor. Additionally,…

The 2015-16 school year was one of transition in Ohio. New state assessments (again), new charter sponsor evaluations, and even a new state superintendent. Change is hard, but it is important to remember that the developments of the last twelve months have their roots in policy decisions designed to improve Ohio's academic standards overall and…

The 2015 Fordham Sponsorship Annual Report is our opportunity to share the Fordham Foundation's work as the sponsor of eleven schools serving approximately 3,200 students in five cities, and our related policy work in Ohio and nationally. Charter school policy took a giant leap forward in Ohio in 2015 with the passage of HB 2. The road to a…

As the summer of 2014 began, Paul Herdman, President and CEO of the Rodel Charitable Foundation of Delaware, paused to reflect on what Delaware had accomplished over the past decade in the public education realm. Academic standards had been raised across the K-12 system, and a new assessment system aligned to those standards was being implemented.…

The purpose of this study is to better understand the characteristics that lead to revenue generation in K-12 education foundations. I reviewed higher education and K-12 education fundraising research literature to identify factors that might be related to success in private revenue generation. The review revealed three key factors explored…

With the nation's economy in turmoil and the government budget axe falling on educational programs, many corporations and private foundations are responding to what has become a pressing need for funding in K-12 education throughout the United States. According to the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, as of June 2008,…

Although education is eligible for high level philanthropic funding, it receives only $4.5 billion, or 15.5 percent of private contributions. This article presents four steps to help school board members secure their fair share of private funding, including making the commitment, enlarging philanthropic understanding, developing rapport, and…

Describes an alumni foundation formed at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, high school. Since 1972, the group has tried to promote the school by building pride in students and teachers, furnishing needed equipment, beautifying the campus, sponsoring "outside" educators, and rebuilding alumni loyalty. The key to success was good communication with the…

In this enlightening book, nationally recognized author and fundraising consultant Stanley Levenson shows school leaders how to move away from labor-intensive, nickel-and-dime bake sales and car washes, and into the world of big-time fundraising. Following the model used by colleges and universities, the author presents a wealth of practical…