More than 200,000 new students have been able to choose to enroll in a public charter school in California since 2003. That’s why the Walton Family Foundation is investing $15 million in the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), with the goal of giving 100,000 additional children the ability to attend a high-quality public charter school over the next three years. The grant is the largest single investment made by the foundation to a state charter school association and is based on CCSA’s proven track record of expanding parental choice in California.

Since CCSA’s inception in 2003, the foundation has invested $17.9 million in them. These investments have helped foster the creation of more than 600 new charter schools, allowing 200,000 additional students and their families to choose to enroll in a public charter school in California.

The investment will also help CCSA spearhead an effort to give 20,000 additional students access to charter schools in Los Angeles Unified alone, one of the Walton Family Foundation’s seven target districts nationally and an area where charter schools are positively impacting the broader school system.

The Walton Family Foundation has invested more than $46 million in state charter school associations with annual investments growing from $5.6 million in 2006 to more than $14 million for 18 state associations in 2010. As we continue to see successful state charter school associations flourish, these investments will continue.