our grantmaking process

The Raikes Foundation makes grants in three core program areas: Education, Youth Homelessness, and Impact-Driven Philanthropy. We also make a limited number of community grants and grants for special projects. Proposals are by invitation only. We make the majority of our grants to organizations we have identified. We do not accept unsolicited proposals. 

To be eligible for a grant, applicants must be classified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and as public charities under section 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) of the Code. Public organizations designated under section 170(c) of the Code are also eligible. The Raikes Foundation does not make grants to individuals or to organizations outside the United States. 

The Raikes Foundation does not fund: individuals; organizations that discriminate on the basis of age, race, national origin or citizenship, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief; or religious purposes unless grant activities address the needs of the wider community without regard to religious beliefs.

Even if our grants and strategies don’t fully succeed, we only fail if we don’t learn.

– Jeff Raikes

List of Grants

Organization Requests Award Date Amount Program
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU): Increasing Adoption of SEP Approach to Equitable College Classrooms 02/21/23 $280,000.00 Education
The Institute for Higher Education Policy General Operating Support 09/01/23 $150,000.00 Education
Education Resource Strategies Inc. BELE Network: Student Experience-centered, Equity-embedded, Data-driven (SEED) District Strategic Planning Project 10/01/23 $150,000.00 Education
Georgetown University Edunomics Lab General Operating Support 05/24/24 $300,000.00 Education
Policy Innovators in Education Network Inc. General Operating Support 06/24/22 $75,000.00 Education
Third Way Institute General Operating Support 07/11/23 $50,000.00 Education
Third Way Institute General Operating Support 12/01/22 $50,000.00 Education
Policy Innovators in Education Network Inc. General Operating Support 08/15/24 $150,000.00 Education
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Higher Ed Forward Fund (2023) 11/30/23 $40,000.00 Education
Council of Chief State School Officers Council of Chief State School Officers Community of Practice for Improving School Climate ​ 11/01/23 $262,700.00 Education
Southern Education Foundation Brown’s Promise: Communications Research Project 09/27/23 $55,000.00 Education
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Grantmakers for Thriving Youth Policy Working Group Collaborative (2024 Core) 02/20/24 $800,000.00 Education
Southern Education Foundation Brown’s Promise General Operating Support 01/01/24 $150,000.00 Education
American Council on Education Carnegie Classifications Project​ 10/01/23 $250,000.00 Education
American Association of School Administrators Inc BELE Network: Enlistment & Influence for Equity w/ ARPA Guidance 11/03/22 $150,000.00 Education
Kent State University Foundation Student Experience Project Strategic Planning and Partnership for Scaling Advisor 08/09/23 $118,421.00 Education
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Higher Ed Forward Fund (2023-2024) 11/21/23 $1,000,000.00 Education
Tides Center PERTS: Strategic Scale-Up of Copilot Ascend and Communities of Practice 01/01/24 $1,200,000.00 Education
Grantmakers For Education 2022 Annual Membership 04/05/22 $3,700.00 Education
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Grantmakers for Thriving Youth Policy Working Group Collaborative (2023 Core) 06/23/23 $500,000.00 Education
Education Law Center Inc. Partnership for Equity in Education (PEER) General Operating Support 05/22/24 $150,000.00 Education
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Resource Equity Funders Collaborative (2023 & 2024) 08/04/23 $2,000,000.00 Education
Education Trust Inc. Alliance for Resource Equity Core Operating Support 06/07/22 $900,000.00 Education
American University American University School of Education Dean’s Discretionary Operating Funds 12/04/23 $10,000.00 Education
Policy Innovators in Education Network Inc. General Operating Support 09/01/23 $100,000.00 Education
Valencia College Foundation General Operating Support 02/28/24 $10,000.00 Education
National Association of System Heads Equity Action Initiative 12/15/22 $100,000.00 Education
New Venture Fund Seek Common Ground’s Student Action Network for Equity General Operating Support 07/07/22 $25,000.00 Education
University of Texas System University of Texas System Student Experience Project 06/11/24 $900,000.00 Education
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities General Operating Support 06/21/22 $900,000.00 Education
National Public Education Support Fund Education Funders Strategy Group Membership (2022) 05/04/22 $25,000.00 Education
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Teaching Excellence at Scale in Higher Education Fund (2024) - Strengthening Fund Capacity 11/18/24 $45,500.00 Education
National Center for Civic Innovation Inc. Equity Accelerator: Institutional Transformation for Equitable Student Success in Higher Education Core Operations 07/01/22 $560,000.00 Education
NewSchools Fund NewSchools Summit Sponsorship (2022) 05/10/22 $10,000.00 Education
Foundation for California Community Colleges California Learning Lab: First Inaugural Annual Conference 07/19/22 $10,000.00 Education
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU): Scaling SEP Practices and Supporting Systemic Change 09/27/23 $840,000.00 Education
National Public Education Support Fund Grantmakers for Thriving Youth Membership (2023) 03/06/23 $20,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
National Public Education Support Fund Education Funder Strategy Group Membership (2023) 03/06/23 $25,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
New Venture Fund Seek Common Ground’s Student Action Network for Equity General Operating Support 02/14/24 $100,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
New Venture Fund Leading Now: Responsive Communications Support for Superintendents​ 04/01/23 $150,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Grantmakers for Thriving Youth Policy Working Group - Education Forward Fund (2023) 06/23/23 $500,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
Grantmakers For Education 2024 Annual Membership 03/13/24 $6,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
Grantmakers For Education 2024 Conference Sponsorship 04/10/24 $7,500.00 Education 1 - Field Building
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Grantmakers for Thriving Youth Policy Working Group - Education Forward Fund (2023) 12/19/23 $300,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
New Venture Fund Seek Common Ground’s Student Action Network for Equity General Operating Support 08/03/23 $100,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Grantmakers for Thriving Youth Policy Working Group - Education Forward Fund (2023) 11/16/23 $25,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
Grantmakers For Education 2023 Annual Membership 05/03/23 $3,700.00 Education 1 - Field Building
New Venture Fund Leading Now: AI Series for Superintendents in Leading Now and Chiefs for Change 11/01/23 $32,500.00 Education 1 - Field Building
New Venture Fund Communities for Just Schools: General Operating Support 12/06/23 $500,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
The Seattle Foundation Grantmakers for Thriving Youth, Education Forward Fund 04/21/22 $200,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building