Tag: News

Creating a Hotspot for K-12 Innovation

Creating a Hotspot for K-12 Innovation

A Philanthropy Roundtable Event on Breakthrough Education Giving
Co-hosted by Donors Forum

Sofitel Chicago Water Tower • Chicago, Illinois
October 28-29, 2015

Chicago is becoming a center for big K-12 ideas and an ideal setting to discuss how donors and education entrepreneurs can create dramatic improvements for kids nationwide. Home to a new crop of personalized learning models, design incubators, and promising startups, the city also boasts emerging innovators in charter schools, policy, leadership development, and advocacy. Chicago’s forward-thinking donors, investors, and venture philanthropy funds also make the city an exciting place to discuss how funders can make a big difference by thinking outside the typical K-12 box.

Attendees had the opportunity to spend two days with hundreds of leading education philanthropists, visit inventive schools, and join high-level strategic conversations about effective K-12 giving.

Event Schedule

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Site Visits

Chicago’s Next Generation Learning Models

Attendees had the opportunity to visit leading examples of personalized learning, including Intrinsic Schools, a learning environment unlike any other school. Intrinsic is made up of interconnected “pods,” each an open studio with spaces dedicated to individual and small-group learning. Students receive personalized learning plans to monitor their academic progress, and access a school-wide blended learning tool as well as Socratic style teaching. Perhaps most astounding is that the cost of this futuristic and breathtaking space was one-fourth the cost of comparable district schools. We also visited two other exemplary models: Chavez Multicultural Academy, a district school, and Chicago International Charter School: West Belden.

7:00 a.m. Registration Opens

Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
20 East Chestnut Street
Chicago, IL 60611

7:30 a.m. Bus Departures Begin

Donors had two options for their first site visit school:

• Cesar Chavez Multicultural Academic Center

• Chicago International Charter School: West Belden

After this first site visit, both groups convened at Intrinsic
Schools and toured as one combined group.

1:00 p.m. Return to Sofitel Hotel

• Networking Luncheon

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Optional Discussions

Session #1: What’s Working to Educate High-Ability, Low-Income Students

Giuseppe Basili, director of strategic initiatives, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, professor, School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University
Chester E. Finn Jr., president emeritus, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation (moderator)

Session #2: How Donors Can Make Meaningful Early Childhood Investments

Katherine Kaufmann, partner, The Bridgespan Group
Diana Rauner, president, Ounce of Prevention Fund

3:10 p.m. – 4:10 p.m. Opening Plenary

Welcome

Adam Meyerson, president, The Philanthropy Roundtable

Cultivating The Next Generation of Education Startups

Deborah Quazzo, founder and managing partner, GSV Advisors
Margaret Angell, director, education innovation portfolio, CityBridge Foundation
Alicia Herald, founder and CEO, myEDmatch
Deborah McGriff, partner, NewSchools Venture Fund (moderator)

We made a special visit to LEAP Innovations, Chicago’s nationally-recognized education innovation center that helps educators and entrepreneurs reimagine learning and develop next-generation school models. Located in 1871, Chicago’s hub for all digital startups, attendees got a rare glimpse into how talented entrepreneurs use dedicated space and resources to test ideas, validate concepts, engage technical experts, work with mentors–and ultimately turn big ideas into reality.

5:00 p.m. Opening Reception and Open House: LEAP and 1871

6:00 p.m. Big-Idea Pitches

Solving America’s Toughest K-12 Problems

Attendees had the opportunity to hear a number of solicitation-free, big-idea pitches from newly-forming education organizations, schools, and initiatives from around the country. Following brief reactions from a panel of experts, attendees were able to ask questions and offer constructive feedback.

Welcome

Jim Oliff, chairman, CME Group Foundation

Master of Ceremonies

Phyllis Lockett, CEO, LEAP Innovations

Pitches

Brian Hill, co-founder and CEO, Edovo
Gareth Genner, founder and CEO, Parish Academy
Blair Pircon, CEO, The Graide Network
Amy Charpentier, KIPP Through College director, KIPP: Delta
Ryan Hoch, co-founder, Overgrad

Expert Respondents

Barton Dassinger, principal, Chavez Multicultural Academic Center
Edith Gummer, education research director in research and policy, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Deborah Quazzo, founder and managing partner, GSV Advisors

7:00 p.m. LEAP Reception

Thursday, October 29, 2015

7:15 a.m. Breakfast Roundtable Discussions

1. How Cities Can Develop Plans for Increasing the Number of High-Quality School Seats
Butch Trusty, chief impact officer, Education Cities

2. How New Approaches to Teacher Certification Can Transform Public Education
Don Nielsen, senior fellow, Discovery Institute

3. Building a Network of Independent Schools: Lessons from 20 Years of Growth
Jane Genster, president and CEO, Cristo Rey Network

4. How Can Donors be Effective in Supporting Alternatives to “College-For-All”
Blouke Carus, chairman emeritus and chief technical advisor, Carus Corporation

5. Hope Outside the Box: How Schools can Create Unconventional Funding Streams by Serving their Communities
Bob Muzikowski, president and founder, Chicago Hope Academy

6. Bridging the Opportunity Divide Through Career Preparation
Jack Crowe, executive director, YearUp Chicago

7. How to Develop High Schoolers into Real-World Entrepreneurs
Michael Miles, co-founder, INCubatoredu

8. How Charter Schools Can Promote Character and Civic Virtue
Steve Barney, trustee, Barney Family Foundation

2016 National Forum on K-12 Philanthropy

The 2016 National Forum on K-12 Philanthropy
September 13-14, 2016
Sofitel San Francisco Bay
Redwood City, California

This year, The Philanthropy Roundtable will be convening the nation’s leading donors and practitioners in one of our country’s epicenters for education transformation, California’s Bay Area, to highlight K-12 innovation and the latest trends from Silicon Valley as the nation marks the 25th anniversary of charter schools.

September 13: Site Visits, Reception, and Special Programming
September 14: Sessions and Speakers

Co-hosted by Legacy Venture

Registration will open in March 2016. A detailed program agenda will be coming soon!

Conference Location:
Sofitel San Francisco Bay
223 Twin Dolphin Drive
Redwood City, CA 94065
(650) 598-9000

The Philanthropy Roundtable has negotiated a special room block rate of $269 per night at the Sofitel San Francisco Bay hotel. Please call (650) 598-9000 to make your reservation. Rates will be available until Tuesday, August 30, 2016, based on hotel availability. The hotel block may sell out, so please make your reservations early to ensure a room. The Sofitel San Francisco Bay is conveniently located 10 miles from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Complimentary shuttle transportation is provided between the airport and the hotel. Contact the hotel concierge for more information on the shuttle schedule.

This solicitation-free event is open to those who annually distribute, or intend to distribute in the near future, at least $100,000 in charitable donations. There is no fee to attend.

For more information on attendance qualifications, please click here. For additional information about the content of this program, please contact Anthony Pienta, director of K-12 programs at apienta@PhilanthropyRoundtable.org or at (202) 822-8333.

Celebrities Promote Philanthropy, Philanthropy Promotes Celebrities. Can We Say It Really Goes Both Ways?

We’ve often seen simple acts of kindness transform human lives. This calls for more than just cash, because money alone is nothing unless it’s backed with a sustainable idea and a solid plan.

Usually it doesn’t take too much investment to go visit someone lying alone in a hospital room fighting for their life. It doesn’t cost a fortune to drag that someone out of their desolation and remind them that the world can be a wonderful place. So in 2012 celebrity actor Christian Bale took 4-year-old Jayden Barber to Disneyland—diagnosed with bone cancer at that time, the little guy is now 7.
ctor Ben Affleck on the other hand chose a different, yet equally significant cause, which has every chance to prove sustainable. Five years ago he started the Eastern Congo Initiative—a foundation which continues to fight domestic violence and work towards a more developed and humanistic civil society in Eastern Congo.

You don’t have to be a star to be a role model. Just like Katie Cutler, a regular girl from UK who in just a week raised 330, 000 pounds for the new home of 67-year old Alan Barnes. Alan was born with a number of physical deficiencies, including stunted growth and visual impairment. He was attacked and mugged in front of his former house and is now afraid to return home, feeling vulnerable because of the physical limitations he’s facing. Katie found out about him on the Internet and thought she could help. The „magic“ worked through a public fundraising website promoting a range of similar money-gathering efforts.

So maybe it takes more than just cash to make for charity. It takes people who care. And anyone who cares is to us a star and a personal hero.

Gates, Rockefeller, Rubenstein discuss life and philanthropy at Smithsonian museum

Coinciding with Giving Tuesday, philanthropists Warren Buffett, David Rubenstein, David Rockefeller and Bill and Melinda Gates join officials at the National Museum of American History Dec. 1 to announce a new initiative on American philanthropy.

The philanthropists will join professors, authors and arts leaders for “The Power of Giving: Philanthropy’s Impact on American Life,” an invitation-only event featuring panel discussions and talks examining the history of American philanthropy, current challenges and future innovations.

Following the morning event, the museum will unveil two cases of philanthropy-related objects in the “American Stories” exhibition on the second floor. The items include a register book that shows the 1,600 libraries financed by Andrew Carnegie and a dress designed for philanthropist Mary Eno Pinchot. The small exhibition serves as a teaser to a larger and permanent display that will open in November of 2016.

The museum will also host a two-hour public program beginning at 2 p.m. that will allow visitors to share their stories of giving.

NYC Philanthropic Table Commits $10 Million for Girls, Women of Color

The NoVo Foundation, in partnership with the New York Women’s Foundation, has announced an initial commitment of $10 million through the New York City Philanthropic Table for Girls and Young Women of Color for programs targeting girls, young women, and transgender youth of color in New York City.

The gift from the Philanthropic Table, a group of more than a dozen local and national foundations that is co-chaired by the NoVo and New York Women’s foundations, matches a $10 million public commitment from the New York City Council. The new commitment will consist of funds newly committed or targeted to efforts aimed at improving the lives of girls and young women of color and that are aligned with the priorities of the Philanthropic Table.

The City Council’s commitment will support the Young Women’s Initiative, created by council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to propose policy changes, data collection, programming, and long-term research geared toward closing gaps in outcomes experienced by girls, young women, and transgender youth of color in New York City. Foundation members of the Philanthropic Table are working closely with YWI, various experts, and girls and young women to identify opportunities for collaboration and elevate the priorities and perspectives of girls and young women of color in the city.

“We applaud Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the New York City Council for their steadfast commitment to the Young Women’s Initiative, which declares that the lives of girls, young women, and trans youth of color deserve greater attention and investment,” said NYWF president and CEO Ana Oliveira. “The New York Women’s Foundation is a proud co-chair of YWI and remains committed to advancing the lives of girls and young women across New York City as we have for the past twenty-nine years.”

Elton John’s Smash Hits Tennis Raises Over $1 Million

On Monday, October 12, 2015, Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King hosted the star-studded 23rd annual Mylan World TeamTennis (WTT) Smash Hits tennis match at the most iconic hotel on the Las Vegas strip – Caesar’s Palace.

Prior to the match, Elton, Billie Jean, and all of the featured players attended a VIP donor reception and live auction, featuring a private hitting session with Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf and two signed Elton John piano benches, which raised nearly $500,000.

The match began with a celebrity doubles set, in which Elton teamed with longtime friend Martina Navratilova for an upset 3-2 victory over Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf. Then, tennis stars Andre Agassi, Tracy Austin, James Blake, Lindsay Davenport, Mardy Fish, Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Andy Roddick divided into two teams – Team Elton and Team Billie Jean – and treated the sold-out crowd to a modified World TeamTennis match, including one set each of men’s doubles, women’s doubles, men’s singles, women’s singles, and mixed doubles.

This all-star player lineup, which includes five Hall of Fame members, represents more than 700 singles and doubles titles plus 100 Grand Slam Championships and six Olympic medals. Team Elton won the match 17-11, giving Team Elton a 12-11 edge in the all-time series.

Even though her team was on the losing end of the final score, King was thrilled with the Las Vegas debut of Mylan WTT Smash Hits. “We raised a lot of money for EJAF and for local HIV/AIDS organizations,” said King. “The players come for nothing every year, so they are amazing. The crowds were so packed tonight, we had to turn people away. I loved being here at Caesars Palace, but I have to live with being down to Elton now for a full year. He will be reminding me of it.”