preparing to apply
Is Enduring Ideas the right award for our team?
Before applying for the Fund, consider if it’s a good fit for your idea. Taking a look at in-depth stories from Reinvention Lab network members might help.
If you are on the fence and want to decide whether Enduring Ideas is worth the time invested in the application,
consider and discuss these questions together as a team:
Before applying for the Fund, consider if it’s a good fit for your idea. Taking a look at in-depth stories from Reinvention Lab network members might help.
If you are on the fence and want to decide whether Enduring Ideas is worth the time invested in the application,
consider and discuss these questions together as a team:
- Does the idea reflect invention (sparking something new) and/or innovation (improving upon or making significant contribution to something already in existence) for young people ages 4-20?
- Is the idea grounded in creating more equitable and just systems of learning, free from oppressive forces like racism and classism?
- Can the idea endure and help usher in a radically new future of learning for young people?
- Has the idea been co-created within communities, not imposed upon them?
- Does the idea have potential for learning and sharing with others?
- Does the idea seek to address the academic, social, cultural, political, and/or environmental needs and challenges that young people will face in the 21st century? Use this Leaps for Equitable, 21st Century Learning document to help you assess.
frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is this funding just for schools? Does my team have to work within a school in order to apply? No. We are eager to fund inventive/innovative schools and non-schools projects and teams.
So, all organizational types are able to apply? We can provide an award to any type of organization, and even to individuals. However, organizations that are not nonprofits, schools, or fiscally-sponsored may be subject to taxes on their award.
Does there have to be a Teach For America alum or Corps Member on our team for us to apply? No. There is no preferential treatment given to Teach For America alums or Corps Members but alums and Corps Members are, of course, welcome to apply.
What do you mean when you say “learning”? “Schooling” and even "education" can connote the experience of being within a physical building, rotating through subject areas at a prescribed pace. “Learning” connotes a broader set of experiences acquiring and applying knowledge. We are eager to fund ideas that are reconceptualizing schooling, education and learning as we know it. We are interested in supporting ideas that are reconceptualizing how young people experience PreK-12 education in the US. We are using Transcend's Leaps framework to think about what that reconceptualization could look like.
Do you fund policy work? No.
Do you fund other funding entities? No.
Will you fund “programmatic maintenance” work such as building tools and resources? It is possible! We are open to a wide range of ideas including ideas that will perpetuate the effectiveness of the innovation.
Do I have to “report” to this decision body? We do not require standardized reporting, however, we do expect that applicants and winners (1) Share their learnings with others in the Enduring Ideas network; (2) Participate in ways that make sense to your team in the growing Enduring Ideas/Reinvention Lab network into the future, and (3) consider joining the Transcend Design Community, a network of innovation school designers.
Is there anything you flat-out won't fund? This fund likely would not award things like a class set of computers or MiFis, ways to make traditional learning experiences virtual, an idea of a single individual. If you have ideas that do not fit into the criteria of this specific fund, consider submitting it to Teach For America's Direct to Community Giving page here.
You talk about "teams" a lot. What does a "team" mean to you? We are looking to fund ideas that have been cultivated in a community-centered, diverse group of people. We are also looking to fund ideas that have been co-created within communities, not imposed upon them. Teams do not have to be new collaborations (in fact, we suspect that will build upon collaborative activity that has deepend over time). We do prioritize teams that demonstrate a cross-section of community stakeholders (teams with young people, family members, and community members; teams that show cross-organizational collaboration; etc.). We tend to de-prioritize, but not exclude, teams that only represent the staff members of a single organization (e.g. a team consisting of three members who are all employees of the same organization).
Can funding be used for for operating expenses? Yes.
What stage of development does the idea need to be in to apply? For instance, can it be "just an idea"? A start up? An established program? We will consider ideas along this entire spectrum.
Who is judging/making decisions about applications? Enduring Ideas decisions are made via a participatory decision-making process. Please click here to learn more about this process.
So, all organizational types are able to apply? We can provide an award to any type of organization, and even to individuals. However, organizations that are not nonprofits, schools, or fiscally-sponsored may be subject to taxes on their award.
Does there have to be a Teach For America alum or Corps Member on our team for us to apply? No. There is no preferential treatment given to Teach For America alums or Corps Members but alums and Corps Members are, of course, welcome to apply.
What do you mean when you say “learning”? “Schooling” and even "education" can connote the experience of being within a physical building, rotating through subject areas at a prescribed pace. “Learning” connotes a broader set of experiences acquiring and applying knowledge. We are eager to fund ideas that are reconceptualizing schooling, education and learning as we know it. We are interested in supporting ideas that are reconceptualizing how young people experience PreK-12 education in the US. We are using Transcend's Leaps framework to think about what that reconceptualization could look like.
Do you fund policy work? No.
Do you fund other funding entities? No.
Will you fund “programmatic maintenance” work such as building tools and resources? It is possible! We are open to a wide range of ideas including ideas that will perpetuate the effectiveness of the innovation.
Do I have to “report” to this decision body? We do not require standardized reporting, however, we do expect that applicants and winners (1) Share their learnings with others in the Enduring Ideas network; (2) Participate in ways that make sense to your team in the growing Enduring Ideas/Reinvention Lab network into the future, and (3) consider joining the Transcend Design Community, a network of innovation school designers.
Is there anything you flat-out won't fund? This fund likely would not award things like a class set of computers or MiFis, ways to make traditional learning experiences virtual, an idea of a single individual. If you have ideas that do not fit into the criteria of this specific fund, consider submitting it to Teach For America's Direct to Community Giving page here.
You talk about "teams" a lot. What does a "team" mean to you? We are looking to fund ideas that have been cultivated in a community-centered, diverse group of people. We are also looking to fund ideas that have been co-created within communities, not imposed upon them. Teams do not have to be new collaborations (in fact, we suspect that will build upon collaborative activity that has deepend over time). We do prioritize teams that demonstrate a cross-section of community stakeholders (teams with young people, family members, and community members; teams that show cross-organizational collaboration; etc.). We tend to de-prioritize, but not exclude, teams that only represent the staff members of a single organization (e.g. a team consisting of three members who are all employees of the same organization).
Can funding be used for for operating expenses? Yes.
What stage of development does the idea need to be in to apply? For instance, can it be "just an idea"? A start up? An established program? We will consider ideas along this entire spectrum.
Who is judging/making decisions about applications? Enduring Ideas decisions are made via a participatory decision-making process. Please click here to learn more about this process.
still have questions?
We're happy to answer them. Just reach out to the Lab and someone from our team will get back to you.
