Give Forward Foundation supports meaningful, sustainable improvements in Bay Area K-12 district schools.
Mission Statement
The Give Forward Foundation is committed to improving public education for students living in under-resourced communities across the San Francisco / Bay Area. We believe transformational change happens by strengthening the entire education system — from classroom instruction to district leadership to state policy — so that improvements are both meaningful and sustained over time.
By working in deep partnership with educators, families, and fellow changemakers, we aim to ensure every student has access to a high-quality education—and can ultimately thrive in school, work, and life.
Our Guiding Principles
At the Give Forward Foundation, our work is anchored in a core set of beliefs that shape how we invest, partner, and lead:
- Equity at the center: We are driven by a deep commitment to educational equity and to improving outcomes for students in marginalized communities.
- Community voice matters: We listen to and elevate the perspectives of those closest to the work—especially students, families and teachers.
- Support for school leaders and educators is essential: We invest in the systems that support and empower principals and teachers, recognizing them as the most powerful levers for thriving schools.
- Impact that endures: We seek to drive systems-level change in order to sustain improvement over time—this means long-term partnerships with grantees, community leaders, policy makers, and fellow funders
- Humble learners: We are lifelong learners who actively seek diverse perspectives, value feedback, and adapt based on what we learn.
- Equity at the center: We are driven by a deep commitment to educational equity and to improving outcomes for students in marginalized communities.
- Community voice matters: We listen to and elevate the perspectives of those closest to the work—especially students, families and teachers.
- Support for school leaders and educators is essential: We invest in the systems that support and empower principals and teachers, recognizing them as the most powerful levers for thriving schools.
- Impact that endures: We seek to drive systems-level change in order to sustain improvement over time—this means long-term partnerships with grantees, community leaders, policy makers, and fellow funders
- Humble learners: We are lifelong learners who actively seek diverse perspectives, value feedback, and adapt based on what we learn.
Our Approach
We take a systems-level view of school and district improvement, focusing on four areas to drive lasting, equitable change in the California Bay Area and beyond:
Transforming Systems from the Ground Up
We support comprehensive, community-driven district change through strategic, multi-year investments — like those in the Bay Ed Fund. Our approach focuses on building a shared vision for improvement, strengthening school and district leadership teams, and partnering with local communities to ensure schools have the capacity to deliver lasting results.
Talent and Instructional Excellence
We focus on what matters most: courageous leaders and educators in districts and schools— and the practices they use every day. We invest in teacher and leader recruitment, development, and retention, support the use of high-quality instructional tools and strategies, and fund innovation and scaling national best practices – ultimately to improve literacy, math, and overall instructional quality in Bay Area schools.
Driving Policy, Narrative, and Influence
We amplify field-tested success stories, advocate for policy and funding shifts, and convene Bay Area K–12 leaders to build connections and advance a bold new narrative of what’s possible for public education.
Meeting Families’ Basic Needs
We recognize that students cannot succeed in school without stability at home. We support organizations that provide critical services—such as immigration legal aid and access to basic needs like housing—for families in under-resourced communities, ensuring students are ready to learn and grow.
We prioritize investing in and learning from our existing partners, rather than accepting unsolicited inquiries, and therefore, grants are considered by invitation only. Please note that Give Forward Foundation grants to charitable activities and nonprofit organizations, not to individuals.
For additional inquiries, please contact us here.