KNOXVILLE – Tennessee’s Great Schools Partnership has been ranked 24th in the nation by the only annual study and raking of K-12 education foundations.

The study, “Stepping Up: The Top K-12 Education Foundations in the Nation,” includes education foundations in the top 200 largest school districts in the nation (by student population), as well as other top-performing foundations in smaller school districts. Stepping Up looks at eight key performance categories to determine the ranking: annual revenues, revenues per student, total assets, assets per student, investment income, total program expenses, expenses per student, and human capital (volunteers).

“It’s always nice to be listed among the best foundations in America. And it all starts with your board of directors,” said Buzz Thomas, president of Great Schools Partnership. “Where else are two mayors, the superintendent, a college president, the university dean and the heads of business, philanthropy, the teachers union, the Urban League and NAACP sitting down together on a regular basis to strategize about creating great schools?”

This is the second consecutive year Great Schools has ranked in the top 25. This year’s study included 100 more school districts than last year’s study, but Tennessee held steady among the top.

“This year was highly competitive. Many foundations that ranked in the top 25 last year are not even ranked in the top 50 this year. Being able to stay in the top 25 is a serious accomplishment,” said Dewey Caruthers, president of Dewey & Associates and author of the study.

Great Schools Partnership operates initiatives such as Project GRAD, Community Schools, CodeTN, Thank A Teacher Week, TeacherPreneur Grant Program, and Leaders for Readers, and supports many other programs such as Parents As Teachers and high-school tutoring centers.

“I believe the K-12 education foundation industry is the fastest-growing philanthropic segment in the U.S.,” said Nina Menis, executive director at National Schools Foundation Association (NSFA). The NSFA is the nation’s largest and oldest association for K-12 education foundations.

Published November 20, 2015