Life After i3 Submission

By Carmen James Lane

Several local education organizations, along with nearly 1,700 other applicants from every state in the country, are anxiously awaiting funding decisions for the US Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation, i3 Program. The $635 million fund will support programs that significantly improve K-12 achievement, decrease drop-out rates, and improve teacher/school leader effectiveness. The US Department of Education estimates that fewer than 100 awards will be made in grants ranging from $3 million to $50 million. In addition, the US Department of Education has created an open innovation portal, a  Web-based community, for practitioners, funders and entrepreneurs to collaborate. 

In a recent conference call with funders, Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced that the most promising applications will be announced in late July. Those groups will then have one month to secure a 20 percent match from private funding sources.

Prior to the submission deadline, the Meyer Foundation helped facilitate collaboration among DC Public Schools, the DC Public Education Fund, and Washington Grantmakers to encourage strong, competitive partnerships between local education nonprofits and DC Public Schools (DCPS) and to create an environment that would help leverage federal dollars. Washington Grantmakers' Public Education Working Group convened local funders, school officials, and nonprofits to hear Chancellor Michelle Rhee speak about her vision for innovation and alignment with DCPS.

Nonprofits interested in partnering with DCPS submitted executive summaries and presented their most compelling ideas before their peers, school officials, and local funders. DCPS selected a small group of nonprofits as official partners for i3, including City Year, Higher Achievement, and Urban Alliance. The Meyer Foundation partnered with the World Bank to create a small fund at the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region to support hiring federal grant proposal writers. In addition, Meyer wrote letters of support for several grantees for their i3 proposals, including groups partnering with DCPS and other eligible applicants.

Some of the groups applying for funding include the following nonprofits: Higher Achievement is seeking i3 support to scale its program model and  deepen its programs in Baltimore, MD, Washington, DC, and Richmond, VA. Urban Alliance is seeking to scale its program model and expand its work in Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. The Center for Inspired Teaching is seeking i3 support to scale its work with preschool teachers.  KIPP DC and E.L. Haynes have partnered to create the Capital Teaching Residency, which will allow resident teachers to witness what good teaching looks like and practice in high performing schools with constant feedback from school leaders and mentors. The DC Public Education Fund, in partnership with DC Public Schools, is seeking to help fund its DC Catalyst Project, which is focused on improving  student outcomes by providing resources and the capacity to grow theme-based schools within the district. If any of these groups receives i3 support, they will have to quickly secure a 20 percent match in cash and in-kind support. 

All foundations interested in supporting innovation proposals and all nonprofits who have applied for i3 support are encouraged to join The Foundation Registry i3. The purpose of the website is to simplify the process of identifying matching dollars for i3. Speaking to grantmakers earlier this year, Secretary Duncan said he hopes collaboration will go far beyond the i3 competition. "Your role in sustaining this momentum is the key," he says. 

You can visit www.data.ed.gov to learn more about all of the applicants and the grantmaking process as it unfolds.  To view the Secretary's talk in full click here.

Carmen James Lane is program officer for children, youth, and families at the Meyer Foundation.

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