Walton Family Foundation awards $159 for public education

[from Philanthropy News Digest] The Walton Family Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $159 million in support of efforts to reform the nation's public education system.

In 2011, the foundation awarded grants to more than two hundred organizations in sixteen communities with concentrations of low-income families and a shortage of high-performing schools. The largest grant, $22.9 million, was awarded to the Charter School Growth Fund in Broomfield, Colorado. Other grant recipients included Teach for America($12.5 million), the Local Initiatives Support Corporation ($6.78 million), the KIPP Foundation ($6.4 million), and GreatSchools, Inc.($4.77 million). Overall, the foundation awarded grants totaling $73.45 million in support of efforts to create quality schools; more than $58 million for initiatives to shape public policy; $26 million in support of programs that improve existing schools; and $1.4 million for research and evaluation.

For a complete list of the foundation's 2011 education reform grantees, visit the Walton Family Foundation Web site.“Walton Family Foundation Invests $159 Million in K-12 Education Reform in 2011.” Walton Family Foundation Press Release 3/07/12.