4.0 Schools
Project Title
As a final general support grant
Date
Mar. 06, 2025
Duration
12 months
Description
Since 4.0’s founding in 2010, it has provided education entrepreneurs with access to the resources needed to develop their ideas at the earliest stages and build a system where students and families are partners in the process of designing new solutions. 4.0 has invested in over 1,800 innovators across forty-five states, collectively impacting over nine million students, families, and educators. 4.0’s fellowship supports education entrepreneurs to develop their community-centered learning solutions, and their Alumni Pathways program equips entrepreneurs with additional tools and resources to secure funding, develop sustainable operational systems, and scale their ventures. Prior Corporation support enabled 4.0 over the past year, to engage 240 innovators in their fellowships, with $1M deployed to their ventures. In addition, over 500 entrepreneurs participated in professional learning through alumni programming and accessed over $5M of additional funding through partnerships and the broader 4.0 community. Renewed support will allow 4.0 to strengthen the Alumni Pathways program infrastructure required to grow and sustain the education entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Website
Project Title
For support of Fund IV
Date
Jun. 08, 2023
Duration
24 months
Description
The education sector has not adequately invested in the leadership necessary to drive innovation, particularly among community-based entrepreneurs who are deeply connected to the challenges they seek to solve. Founded in 2010 to address this gap, 4.0 builds the capacity of entrepreneurs to develop early-stage education ventures that provide student-centered learning experiences and meet the needs of their communities. Corporation support will enable 4.0 to support 240 entrepreneurs as they develop new ventures, refine the fellowship model, expand programming for aspiring education funders, and provide leadership development for alumni. 4.0 creates positive impact in the sector both by cultivating a strong talent pipeline and supporting the development of each new venture. They have worked with more than 1,600 entrepreneurs to create hundreds of ventures that collectively reach more than 9,000,000 students across the country. A recent external evaluation revealed that the majority of 4.0 entrepreneurs are considered leaders in the education sector and report that 4.0 was instrumental in their development as leaders. 4.0 ventures have a range of focus areas, such as literacy, college access, and socio-emotional learning, and have demonstrated success in improving student experiences and outcomes.
Website
Project Title
For increasing the supply of community-driven education innovation through Fund III and planning for Fund IV
Date
Dec. 02, 2021
Duration
18 months
Description
The education sector is not set up to foster innovation or entrepreneurship, particularly among underrepresentedstakeholder groupswho areoftenbest positionedto understand and craftsolutions for challenges facing their communities. Founded in 2010,4.0 Schools(4.0)hasdemonstrated expertise in coaching, connecting, and investing in diverse leaders to develop breakthrough learning spaces and tools with youth and families in their local communities. Through its fellowship programming and intentionally small scale, and by leveraging its extensive alumni network, 4.0 supports aspiringeducation entrepreneurs todevelop and test innovative ideas, learn from their pilot projects, and make evidence-informed decisions about whether and how to move forward. 4.0’s approach has proven to be particularly prescient in the context of the pandemic, enabling agile and responsive action in alumni communities.
Website
Project Title
For the development of entrepreneurial pathways for new schools and learning models
Date
Sep. 12, 2019
Duration
27 months
Description
The education sector is not set up to foster large-scale innovation or entrepreneurship, particularly among underrepresented and marginalized individuals who are best positioned to craft solutions for challenges facing their communities. Founded in 2010, 4.0 Schools (4.0) has demonstrated expertise in coaching, connecting, and investing in diverse leaders to develop breakthrough learning models with youth and families in in their local communities. Through its fellowship programming and early stage investments, and by leveraging its extensive alumni network, 4.0 supports aspiring education entrepreneurs to develop and test innovative ideas, learn from their pilot projects, and make evidence-informed decisions about whether and how to move forward. This approach creates a low-risk, low-cost environment for a diverse set of fellows to innovate and learn, and it also establishes a community of practitioners whose fellowship experiences position them to become local education leaders in their cities.