Impact
Bold experiments.
Lasting results.
DC Ed Fund backs cutting-edge initiatives with the potential to generate systemic change. Our investments have transformed DCPS into the fastest-improving urban school district in the last decade.
Our founding
The DC Public Education Fund was founded in 2007 to help DC Public Schools address its most pressing challenges through organized philanthropy.
Pursuing excellence
Our first investment fund raised $65M to support IMPACTplus, the nation’s first performance and compensation system to attract, evaluate, and incentivize the highest performing educators.
Student experience
We expanded our efforts to address what students were learning in their classrooms. The Cornerstones initiative introduced the city’s first curriculum strategy stacked with powerful lessons and experiences, all in pursuit of closing the opportunity gap.
Expanding our vision
Since the beginning, we have raised over $200M in seed capital to launch a series of new start-up initiatives that continue to raise the bar for what’s possible in public education.
Proof of concept
Today, DCPS still holds the title of being the nation’s fastest-improving urban school district, much of it accelerated by DC Ed Fund-supported investments.
Targeted investments to achieve DCPS’ most ambitious goals.
Standing Ovation
Standing Ovation was designed as a way to honor the achievements of DCPS’ top teachers, leaders, and school communities. For more than ten years, this unique DC tradition has played a critical role in elevating the teaching profession and celebrating what’s working in urban education.
DCPS Persists
DCPS Persists is the first college completion initiative ever led by a traditional public school district in the country. For the first time, DCPS is providing college-bound students with a support network to help them succeed and complete college.
Check it outRaised to support DCPS Persists
DCPS alums receiving coaching and supports including workshops, career readiness opportunities, and community building in pursuit of their post-secondary degree.
Microgrants awarded to assist over 1,000 first-year students overcome unexpected financial barriers to persistence and completion.
High School Redesign (Anacostia and Ballou High School)
In 2019, DCPS launched a High School redesign initiative, the district’s first community-driven transformation strategy beginning with Anacostia HS and Ballou HS. Grounded on human centered practices, redesign teams lead schools through a year long incubation journey that transform schools with and for them versus aiming solutions “at” them.
Check it outDollars in redesign investments
Stakeholders involved in the redesign process, including students, parents, staff, and community partners
Increase in 9th grade enrollment at Ballou and Anacostia following the redesign efforts
DC Reading Clinic
The DC Reading Clinic launched in 2018 to meet two critical needs at once: offering intense, one-on-one decoding sessions for DCPS’ most struggling readers, and providing clinical apprenticeships for DCPS educators to become literacy experts. The Clinic now operates in three locations across the city.
Check it outRate of expected reading growth for DCRC students
Rate of Clinic-trained teacher who would recommend the experience to their peers
Students directly impacted by the coaching and instructional support offered by the DC Reading Clinic in the last 5+ years.