We are thrilled to announce that we are the recipients of the Vela Education Fund Next Step Grant.
As shared on the Vela website, the Next Step grants are prioritized for members of the Vela community (previous Vela micro grant recipients) that are experiencing significant, unmet demand to expand to serve more learners and families, and demonstrate readiness to immediately increase their reach and impact.
Investment criteria
All Next Step grant recipients must meet VELA’s investment criteria. To be considered for Next Step funding, applicants must:
- demonstrate an immediate opportunity to expand their impact, as evidenced by unmet demand from their target audience.
- clearly articulate their vision of success and the value their program creates.
- provide evidence of early indicators of effective implementation and impact.
- have well-defined goals and the capacity to execute with excellence.
- have an implementation plan in place to serve more learners and families within 3 months of applying.
Funding decisions will be based on programs’ readiness to immediately increase their impact, utilizing the following criteria:
- Unstoppable, Permissionless Entrepreneur. The program is led by a powerhouse entrepreneur, has experienced substantial growth, and is on the path toward expanding its impact, with or without additional VELA support.
- Immediate Growth Potential. The applicant provides clear evidence of additional demand for the program that, with additional funding, could immediately be met.
- Value Creation. The applicant has a defined point of view on what success looks like for their program and provides evidence that the program is delivering against these outcomes.
- Sustainability. The applicant has creatively structured its business model to generate revenues while increasing access, and is not reliant on grant funding to sustain into the future.
- Community Building Potential. The program is deeply rooted in the community it serves as well as the broader out-of-system education community in its immediate area.
We are deeply thankful for the work that Vela does to support schools like ours. If you would like to donate to the Vela Education Fund to help fund more schools like ours, please click HERE.