New Fund Allows Organizations to Address Critical Needs
and Create More Equitable Learning Environments
ATLANTA – (Oct. 14, 2020) – redefinED atlanta, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that every student in Atlanta has the opportunity to attend a great public school, today announced the launch of the redefinED Innovation Fund for Pandemic Education and Restart. The fund aims to encourage innovative ideas that reimagine and enhance public education for the future. The theme for this grant cycle is Pandemic Education and Restart, and the funds are available to address the immediate needs of schools and students in the Atlanta Public School (APS) District due to the impact of COVID-19.
“Atlanta’s schools and supporting organizations are working with reduced budgets to address the increased needs of Atlanta’s students since they began this school year remotely,” said Ed Chang, executive director of redefinED atlanta. “These grants will help educators and other stakeholders provide an opportunity for students most impacted by inequity to have access to learning opportunities and social-emotional supports while having the liberty to try new ideas to better teach and equip our students for the 21st century.”
Through the redefinED Innovation Fund, Atlanta Public School leaders, educators and staff as well as organizations that work and support public schools in the district, can apply for one of four levels of grants: $2,500 and less, $2,501 – $5,000, $5,001 – $10,000, and $10,001 – $15,000. The fund is open to all public schools and organizations that operate in Atlanta and the Atlanta Public Schools district.
Grant requests must meet specific criteria and align with Transcend Education’s Leaps for Equitable, 21st -Century Learning which is anchored in helping young people maximize their own potential while being connected and supporting a larger community. The funds can be used for ideas such as creating programs designed to support enrichments like virtual clubs and the arts, extra academic instruction or learning pods for children in under-resourced communities, student, parent or community communications, innovative supports such as the development of mobile WIFI units and more.
Grant proposals will be considered beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and will continue until the funds are depleted. Applicants can find more information and submit a proposal at www.redefinedatlanta.org/investments/innovation-fund/. Applicants who are awarded funds will be notified within one month of the proposal’s submission.
The launch of the Innovation Fund is a continuation of redefinED atlanta’s commitment to assist APS families and staff during the pandemic. Earlier this year, redefinED atlanta sponsored pandemic hardship grants for APS families experiencing heightened or extended hardships during the early months of COVID-19 through the “For Us By Us” fund and commissioned the only report using actual student data to help quantify the impact COVID-19 was having on student learning.
The findings of our report, “Quantifying the Impact of COVID-19 School Closures on Metro Atlanta Student Proficiency,” projected a significant learning loss, especially among students with lower levels of proficiency. The redefinED Innovation Fund provides a pathway for solutions generated by communities most impacted by inequity to receive capital to support the larger APS community with education needs during the pandemic and invites other local funders to expand and extend its efforts by contributing to the fund.
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About redefinED atlanta:
redefinED atlanta is a growing collective of civic leaders and philanthropists passionate about and invested in transforming Atlanta into a place where every student in every community has the opportunity to attend a high-quality public school. For more information on redefinED atlanta, please visit www.redefinEDatlanta.org.
About Atlanta Public Schools:
Atlanta Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state of Georgia, serving approximately 52,000 students across 87 schools. The District is organized into nine K-12 clusters with 58 traditional schools, 18 charter schools, six partner schools, two citywide single-gender academies and three alternative programs. To learn more about Atlanta Public Schools, follow us on social media – Twitter (@apsupdate), Facebook (Atlanta Public Schools), and Instagram (apsupdate) – or visit us online at www.atlantapublicschools.us.
Media Contact:
Sonia Fuller
404-660-1261