Key areas of work:
- Designing and supporting funder collaboratives to align philanthropic investments with impactful education reform strategies.
- Improving bilingual education and English learner supports.
- Advancing the implementation of rigorous academic standards and high-quality assessments.
- Supporting educator preparation and professional development systems.
- Expanding equitable access to and success in postsecondary education and career pathways.
In 2024, Education First published a guide Surviving to Thriving: Funder Collaboratives that Matter, which reflects its extensive experience designing and supporting collaborative philanthropy in education. The guide draws on over 15 years of work leading and analyzing more than 15 education-focused funder collaboratives involving 90+ foundations. These efforts have tackled challenges ranging from dual-language learning and standards implementation to teacher quality and college access. The guide serves as a resource to help grantmakers collaborate more effectively to bring systemic change to the education landscape.