The Charles Koch Foundation, along with the Walton Family Foundation, recently announced matching gifts of $5 million each, to support 4.0 Schools. These generous gifts will help the organization grow early-stage support for education leaders and the communities they serve.
4.0 is driving innovation in American education and is one of the largest and earliest investors in education today. 4.0 fellows work to bring innovative solutions to the children in their communities through educator training, early learning, and apprenticeship programs. The organization has already supported 1,000 alumni who now serve more than one million students across the country.
The matching gifts from these two foundations accompany the launch of 4.0’s next fundraising campaign, Fund III. Funds raised through this campaign will help further the organization’s mission and help support 600 diverse education entrepreneurs in incubating, testing, and launching new and innovative approaches to education with the hope of transforming America’s education system by creating more high-quality programs and facilities that meet the needs of each unique community and student. Fund III will also pilot 500 new schools, programs, and education tools across the United States.
“4.0 fuels the creative ideas of aspiring education entrepreneurs in local communities,” said Meredith Olson, a spokesperson for the Charles Koch Foundation and vice president of the K-12 initiative at Stand Together. “By experimenting and sharing knowledge, together they are discovering and launching solutions to meet the unique educational needs of their children and neighbors.”