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Innovative Schools Program

Two students smiling TLC Innovative Schools
Supporting Visionary Educators Opening the Schools of the Future
The Walton Family Foundation’s Innovative Schools Program supports educators and entrepreneurs who open all types of schools that look and feel truly different and can help students achieve at the highest level. Since 2017, 14 schools have received a total of $4 million in funding to open their doors and put students on a path to upward economic and social mobility.

The application period is closed.

To learn more about funding through the Walton Family Foundation, visit the Grants section of our website.
Innovative Schools Program. Boy's Lab. Dr. Richard Glass 14
New School Models to Support Every Learner
Meet some of the innovators who are changing education. These schools serve as powerful examples of what can be achieved for students when experience, vision and drive come together.
Featured Content
December 16, 2019
Build UP in Birmingham, Alabama is an early college workforce development program that gives kids the opportunity to earn their high school diploma, an associate's degree and complete a paid apprenticeship to learn high-skilled, high-wage trades.
December 1, 2019
Jessica Tunney founded TLC Public Charter School to address a shortage of inclusive education options in Orange County. The school's mission is to demonstrate that not only is inclusion possible, but it is preferable for students with disabilities, students who do not have disabilities and students with diverse life experiences of all kinds.
Ruben Morris December 16, 2019
At Build UP in Birmingham, Alabama, students earn a diploma, a degree and the deed to properties they helped renovate.
Jessica Tunney December 2, 2019
At TLC Public Charter School, students of diverse abilities thrive in classrooms of caring and creativity.
Program provides educators the opportunity to create unique school models that meet students’ diverse needs
November 20, 2019
Dr. Richard Glass created Boy’s Lab for boys of color on the South Side of Chicago, so they could have their values and identities affirmed in an academically rigorous environment. He believes “if you are invested in the lives of the students you serve, they'll achieve at higher levels.”
Dr. Richard Glass November 20, 2019
On Chicago’s South Side, Dr. Richard Glass has created a safe, joyful and culturally-affirming micro-school for boys of color.