For over 55 years, The Edward E. Ford Foundation has dedicated itself to supporting independent schools across the United States, having awarded over 2,100 grants to more than 800 schools, totaling well over $118 million. Their mission emphasizes the importance of leveraging philanthropic support for independent schools, notably through requiring matching funds in the grant application process, which has generated over $110 million in additional support for NAIS schools.
The Educational Leadership Grants program, initiated in 2008 by the EE Ford Foundation, targets enhanced educational excellence in fewer, selected schools by offering larger grants. Originally by invitation only, since 2018, the Foundation opened the opportunity for schools to independently seek placement on an Educational Leadership Grant Agenda. These grants focus on proposals that demonstrate potential for significant impact on the practice and thinking within the independent school community, encourage innovation, are replicable, and produce benefits extending beyond the recipient institution. The program aims to foster original thinking, inspire creative problem-solving, and incubate novel approaches to the challenges faced by independent schools. Proposals are evaluated based on quality and the school's operational considerations without preference for specific areas of work, allowing schools to propose projects addressing their most critical needs.