How to Invest
During our first phase we successfully raised over $50 million. With the launch of our new fund, our donors have a unique opportunity to partner with us on our broader efforts, bring to scale what we have learned about creating exceptional charter schools, and change the lives of thousands of students.
Invest in our Charter School Fund and Drive System-Wide Change
Investments in NSC and its charter school fund will accelerate the opening of 50 new charter schools in Chicago through NSC’s partnerships and strategic investments in the best performing CMOs, both locally and nationwide. Investments in NSC also will support reporting tudent and school achievement, and school financial performance and sustainability. Our summary of the overall performance of all Chicago charter schools will shape our investments and be made available through a web-based platform to charter school investors, parents and elected officials, allowing stakeholders online access to individual school data, neighborhood comparison analysis and student growth. Finally, investments in NSC will support its comprehensive media and community outreach strategies, building public engagement that demands alternatives to underperforming schools, and community support for charter operators to gain access to the communities that need them the most.
Invest Directly in a Charter School
With an initial investment of $1 million, a NSC investor can open a new charter school and offer hundreds of families and their children alternatives to underperforming neighborhood schools. That was the choice made by the Chicago-based law firm Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal (now SNR Denton), which opened Legacy Charter School, a K-8 school located in the North Lawndale community, in honor of its 100th anniversary. SNR Denton committed over $1 million toward the start-up and initial operation of the school, and also provides financial and management support. Its attorneys and staff volunteer as tutors and mentors to students and facilitate adult education courses for parents.
Other donors have supported individual schools by funding specific programs, as Kraft Foods did with a commitment of $600,000 to its healthy lifestyles program “Health 4 Schools,” and Allstate did with a $500,000 commitment and partnership with the Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy to bring innovation to that school’s business curriculum. Other ways firms (and their employees) and individuals can invest directly in a school include serving as school board members, providing internship opportunities for students, donating professional services to support school operations, or leveraging industry expertise to enhance curriculum and the teaching and student experience.
Invest in a Community Partnership
Through our Community Partnership Model, a group of families or companies, with a pooled investment of $1 million, can be directly involved in opening a new school, offering them the opportunity to impact the lives of thousands of children. In our first phase, thanks to the generosity of the Glencoe, Woodley Road, Winnetka and Kenilworth Family groups, LEARN Excel, Johnson College Prep (a Noble Street Charter School), CICS Irving Park and Providence Englewood Charter Schools are providing choice to families in four underserved communities and a superior education to over 1,200 students. Beyond their financial investment, partnership members serve on school boards, volunteer as tutors and mentors, and provide in-kind donations of professional services and materials.
Planned Gifts
For some donors, a planned gift or bequest to NSC and its charter school fund may provide the best vehicle for supporting charter school growth and improved educational opportunities to underserved children in Chicago.
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