The top strategy for effective philanthropy

VELA Education Fund uses a disciplined approach to investing in and catalyzing innovation.

The organization believes that innovation is best spurred through experimentation. They use their funds to encourage recipients to pilot new approaches, and learn from what didn’t work as much as what did. Their hope is that they will equip changemakers to unleash their creativity, learn, and improve.

Rather than invest millions of dollars in a select few, VELA has chosen to spread thousands of dollars across thousands of people. They have made a point of funding a variety of entrepreneurs, including founders of micro schools, hybrid homeschools, and cooperative learning communities.

To date, VELA has disbursed more than 2,000 grants, serving over 6 million learners and families across the country.

VELA’s investments are not only catalyzing innovation, but also creating a diverse community of education entrepreneurs who are working across lines of difference to create new learning opportunities for families. By shining a spotlight on these entrepreneurs and their work, they hope to raise awareness and foster cultural openness toward innovative out-of-system learning opportunities.