NewSchools Venture Fund

10/15/2026

Today we’re celebrating a major milestone: NewSchools has surpassed $500 million invested in more than 1,000 ventures since our founding.

That investment has backed leaders and organizations working to build a better public education system, and today we’re announcing our 2026 cohort: 105 ventures, selected from nearly 1,800 applications nationwide.

These innovators are designing new school models, accelerating literacy and math learning, reimagining teaching and building more inclusive learning for students with learning differences. Across these areas, 25 organizations are using AI to improve outcomes for students furthest from opportunity.

Read the full announcement and meet the new cohort: https://www.newschools.org/blog/newschools-surpasses-500-million-invested-in-education-innovation/

09/29/2026

Seven fellows and their co-designers just wrapped the first community of practice for our HBCU Charter School Design Fellowship. Over the next year they're designing charter schools in partnership with HBCUs, and the cohort gives them peers to build alongside instead of doing it alone.

We'll see you again in Atlanta!

Thank you to everyone doing the good work, and to Rebecca Watson and Kody Melancon for holding the space.

09/16/2026

Latinos shape the fabric of America every day. It’s time our schools reflect that reality.

This , our friends at Latinos For Education is launching Visión 2050. A Latino vision for education, built by and for Latino communities.

From students and families to educators and partners, Visión 2050 will be shaped by people who believe in a better education system where every student can flourish. Because when we transform education for Latino students and Latino families, we create a stronger future for all families and for America.

Join us this month in celebrating this legacy and helping shape what’s next for education. Learn more about Visión 2050 and how to add your voice at the link below.

https://www.latinosforeducation.org/vision2050/

VISIÓN 2050 Our future shaped by and for Latinos. A future where Latino students and families shape what comes next, and schools reflect our dreams and realities. Together, we’re building […]

09/16/2026

There's nothing like in-person time with your team. Three days together and three years of work to reflect on in our 2024-2026 strategy which is coming to a close.

$60 million in funding spread across more than 200 investments. This year's funding requests were double what they were five years ago. Three-quarters of our portfolio schools match or outperform comparable district schools. And there's so much more to be proud of.

But when we asked ourselves what made us the proudest, almost no one led with a number. We lifted up how we worked together and how we center humanity and students thriving in everything we do. It takes rigor and relationships. Less silos and more "we" than "me". It takes playing the long game and being comfortable in ambiguity.

That culture is what produces the numbers. And it's what we're carrying into the next three years, for every young person, especially those furthest from opportunity.

Thank you, team.

(And thank you Pahara Institute at Lone Rock for the hospitality, beautiful views, and the perfect retreat to reflect together.)

09/10/2026

Team retreat, day 2. 🏔️

Together we talked org strategy, physiological safety, and brushed up on our listening skills to work better together. Add in breathtaking (literally!) Colorado mountain views thanks to Pahara Institute at Lone Rock at Lone Rock and it’s been a great few days of building what’s next, and remembering what came before, as a team.

08/14/2026

We’ve got a few sessions up for voting on the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival PanelPicker.

If you’re interested in:

-AI that works behind the scenes instead of on a screen

-schools that don’t look anything like the ones we grew up in

-what teaching could look like when the job actually makes sense

-getting kids excited about math without losing the human connection

-the overlooked lever that could improve outcomes for every student
building tech that’s accessible from day one

-how a proven edtech fix grows into real systemwide change
..go vote for us! ❤️ You know where the link is. (P.S. you can just click the hearts all the way down if you like us that much) 😉

08/07/2026

Happy Friday! We see you out there doing good work and making school a better place. Get some well-deserved rest and then let's get back to it. 💪

06/15/2026

This Pride Month, NewSchools celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and the belief that every student deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported in their learning environment.

Students thrive when they belong. To every educator and school leader building that kind of environment: thank you.

06/14/2026

Want to explore how AI can strengthen teaching instead of replacing it?

NewSchools is co-sponsoring a convening at UC Berkeley hosted by Travis Bristol and colleagues at UC Berkeley CREEO alongside venture leaders at The Urban Assembly: AI as an Equity Lever for Teaching Quality and Student Growth. Join us on July 8. Registration is free.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWnGZHKbsqSJWgyC_0Wk_HJRmPUkVBETlMxPt_N4YNnsWmUw/viewform?usp=dialog

Not enough of the conversations about AI have centered & ! So, here's our response AI as an Equity Lever for Teaching Quality and Student Growth Hosted by the UC Berkeley CREEO in partnership with The Urban Assembly, Inc. Wednesday, July 8, 2026 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. MLK Jr Buil...

06/13/2026

Nandi Edouard spent 18 months engaging more than 1,000 Metro Atlanta residents before opening a single classroom. This is the school her community asked for.

In their first year, students at The Simple Vue Academy grew 20 to 30% in math and reading. They also ran a student marketplace where Edouard paid out every dollar they earned. "I gave them cold, hard cash in their hands for what they did."

The school is Douglas County's first entrepreneurship-focused charter middle school and a NewSchools venture.

Nandi Edouard founded The Simple Vue Academy to give Black and brown students a real path to economic mobility through entrepreneurship and financial literacy