Investing in Education

For over a decade, the Walton Family Foundation (WFF) has steadily invested in public charter schools in Minnesota by providing grants to startup groups as they launch schools. This investment stems from their commitment to improving educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.

The Walton grants as they are popularly known have facilitated the startup process of the vast majority of charter schools in Minnesota. The grants have ranged from $10,000 up to $250,000 for each school in the most recent grant funding cycle. While significantly increasing the size of each individual grant, WFF has tightened the criteria and become more selective in approving applications.

In recent years, WFF has placed a much greater emphasis on proven track records, incorporating proven best practices into the model and a focus on serving the urban communities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

In evaluating funding requests, WFF looks for the applicant's capacity to dramatically raise student achievement and serve at least 50% or more low-income students within the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul.

A few weeks ago, Al Fan, Executive Director of Charter School Partners (CSP), announced that WFF has given grants totaling $500,000 to two new start-up charter schools in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Cornerstone Montessori Elementary, which will be located on Saint Paul's East Side Phalen community and Hiawatha Middle School, each received approval for $250,000.00 towards their start-up activities. "Based on the quality of application and start-up teams, Cornerstone Montessori Elementary and Hiawatha Middle School have the potential to become two very high-performing charter schools serving the Twin Cities minority and immigrant communities", said Mr. Fan.

Walton grants are administered exclusively in Minnesota by CSP the designated WFF partner. A local eight-member panel reviews proposals for new start-ups and makes recommendations to the Walton Foundation. The review panel is composed of notable educators and business leaders.