WHO WE ARE

Grantmakers for Education is a membership organization for private and public philanthropies that support improved education outcomes for students from early childhood through higher education. GFE promotes dialogue, inquiry, and learning to strengthen practice within the field of education philanthropy, by enhancing grantmakers’ knowledge about effective education strategies and effective grantmaking strategies.

Founded in 1995, GFE is the only national organization representing the diversity of education philanthropy today. Our members include over 280 philanthropies throughout the country that bring broad and different strategies and approaches to their work.

GFE understands that grantmakers investing gifts of money, time or expertise to improve education face important challenges. Among them,

• Too many children enter school without important skills, and too few leave school ready for college or the amplified demands of today’s workplace.
• Deep achievement gaps divide children by race and income at all levels of the system.
• Increasing public scrutiny, expectations and accountability for both educators and grantmakers are colliding with decreasing resources.

Yet, when approached wisely, we know that philanthropy--regardless of a grant's scope or size--can make a difference in improving the nation's education systems.