THE NEA FOUNDATION FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATION
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Mission Statement
The NEA Foundation is a national nonprofit and philanthropic organization based in Washington, DC. Founded by educators, our mission is to work in partnership with others to promote the absolute best in public education. We believe that the most innovative and effective policies and strategies emanate from educators engaged in authentic partnership with policymakers, students, parents, and others who are committed to educational equity, excellence, and opportunity. Through the transformative power of these partnerships, we believe we can improve both students’ and communities’ educational experiences and outcomes. The NEA Foundation achieves its mission by: • investing in educators’ leadership, shared learning and collaboration; • supporting partnerships whose initiatives advance educational justice, equity, excellence, and opportunity; and • sharing improvements in education policy and practice resulting from educators and their partners’ thought leadership. OUR VISION The NEA Foundation envisions schools as places that foster both educators’ and students’ love of learning, enabling both to excel. We also envision education as every child’s civil right. We recognize that the realization of this vision will require rigorous teaching and learning at every educational level; equitable and just educational resources and practices; an appreciation of students’ and educators’ full identity, physical, social and emotional well-being; the eradication of racism, prejudice, and negative biases or mindsets; and both the public and policymakers’ openness to innovation and change. OUR VALUES Educator Leadership: Schools and policymakers that embrace educators as thought leaders are better able to respond to pressing educational challenges. Antiracism: The NEA Foundation actively seeks to promote knowledge, actions, and policies that oppose racism and lead to racial equality. Embracing the Whole-Child: Children bring their whole selves to school, including sometimes-unaddressed needs that can affect their opportunity to learn. A high-quality education is responsive to the conditions that bear on student learning, including neighborhood and environmental conditions; access to food, housing, health care, and technology; and children’s exposure to culturally-relevant, diverse, and encouraging developmental experiences. Partnership: Educators and schools alone cannot meet every student need. The NEA Foundation celebrates the many varied contributions of educators, students, families, and the broader community — including public and private entities at the neighborhood, state, and federal levels — as well as all who support student learning and student success. The Public Good: Public education is not only the gateway to individual opportunity, it is the cornerstone of a vibrant democracy and a flourishing economy. Public schools foster students’ respect for the dignity and worth of every individual, equipping them to become empathetic and informed participants in civil society. Justice: Justice and equity result when individuals and institutions grow in their understanding of structural and racial inequalities and how these wrongs can influence policy, educational practice, and children’s educational experiences and outcomes. To ensure education justice, equity, and opportunity, The NEA Foundation supports the just and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities. Further, we advocate for the proactive identification of root causes of racial disparities and the systematic removal of institutional and structural barriers to the fair treatment of people of all races.
About This Cause
The NEA Foundation is an independent national philanthropic organization founded by educators to promote the absolute best in public education. For more than five decades, the Foundation has championed and funded educator-led initiatives and innovation, resulting in measurable and sustained improvements in public education. KEY INITIATIVES AND GRANTMAKING Community Schools Initiative: The Foundation’s Community Schools Initiative, launched in 2020, supports the development of community schools as an educational justice and equity strategy in the American South, a region with persistent patterns of underinvestment in public education and the highest child poverty rate in the nation. Community schools are co-created through partnerships among educators and school leaders, community organizations, students, families, and local businesses and institutions to meet students’ academic and non-academic needs. Through its initiative, the Foundation has built a regional community of practice to support the development of community schools across Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Grants to Educators: The NEA Foundation currently offers three grant programs for educator-conceived and led projects. Student Success Grants support projects that promote critical thinking and real-world application of learning. Learning and Leadership Grants support educators’ professional development, innovation, and collaboration. The Foundation’s newest grant program, Envision Equity Grants, launched this year, provides educators with the opportunity to center equity in transforming education to improve students’ educational experiences and outcomes. Grants range from $1,500 to $5,000 each and are typically awarded three times a year. Global Learning Fellowship: The Global Learning Fellowship is a yearlong, cohort-based professional development experience through which educators enhance their knowledge and skills to integrate global competency in their classrooms, strengthen their ability to advocate for global competency, and empower students to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world. Over the course of the year, fellows immerse themselves in online coursework, webinars, reading and reflection, a two-day professional development workshop, mentoring by program alumni, and a nine-day International field study. Fellows also complete a capstone project that reflects their learning and can serve as a resource for educators beyond the program. The 2024 Cohort has 48 fellows. Awards for Teaching Excellence: Each year, the NEA Foundation provides national recognition to educators across the country in order to celebrate and give visibility to excellence in public education and to amplify the voices of exemplary teachers as advocates for the profession. Each year, all state affiliates are invited to nominate an educator to be celebrated as representative of the educational excellence found in each state. From that group, five educators are chosen for additional recognition and one educator receives the top national award. All awardees are celebrated at the NEA Foundation Salute to Excellence in Education gala, which will be held on May 3, 2024. Responsive Grantmaking: The Foundation responds to pressing issues and opportunities in education by making grants and establishing partnerships to advance educational justice, equity, excellence, and opportunity. Among the Foundation’s current partners are the Education Civil Rights Alliance (ECRA), housed with the National Center for Youth Law, and the Communities for Just Schools Fund, a national donor collaborative that helps grassroots organizers, including educators, nurture the full potential of all students.