Charter School Growth Fund - SCALE Grants

Charter School Growth Fund - SCALE Grants is sponsored by Charter School Growth Fund (CSGF). Supports educational leaders seeking to grow high-performing public charter schools by serving an additional 1,000+ students within the next 3-5 years.

Apply For Funding | Charter School Growth Fund The Charter School Growth Fund is looking to support educational leaders and entrepreneurs who want to grow their high-performing public charter schools. Early-stage growth is supported through our Seed strategy, while later-stage expansion is funded through our Scale strategy.

We support nonprofit organizations that run some of the top public charter schools in their communities and are redefining what is possible in America’s public schools.

Our portfolio members typically share the following traits: They have had strong academic performance for multiple years, as demonstrated by measures such as student academic growth, achievement on state tests relative to peers, sub-group performance and, when available, long-term student outcome data.

They are committed to operating their schools on public funding and will not require significant philanthropy when they finish growing their networks of schools. They typically have waiting lists and want to expand their impact by opening more schools.

The “Seed” organizations we support seek to open 1-2 more schools within the next two years, while our “Scale” strategy supports leaders who plan to launch 3+ more schools over a five-year period. School leadership teams have the capacity to build the skills and expertise needed to accomplish their ambitious goals. They share a commitment to serving students who have limited access to high-quality public schools in their communities.

We offer two strategies that provide funding and support. Select the box that best describes the stage of growth your school or network is currently in: Schools and networks growing to serve 250 to 1,000 additional students in the next two years. Schools and networks growing to serve 1,000+ additional students in the next three to five years.

Learn About Scale Funding We are looking for leaders who want to expand their high-performing public charter schools by serving 250 to 1,000 additional students in the next two years. We award general operating grants of between $250,000 and $750,000 to help promising leaders open their next one to three schools. Once awarded, these grants are disbursed over a two- to three-year period.

We support charter leaders in overcoming the common challenges facing schools and networks that are beginning to grow. The targeted support we provide includes business planning, facilities insights, and access to the best resources from the CSGF portfolio. Selected Seed leaders will join a cohort of their peers who lead public charter school networks in the early stages of growth.

As a community, they participate in annual events including the Portfolio Retreat and smaller convenings. We seek to significantly expand the impact of public charter schools led by entrepreneurs who have backgrounds similar to those of the students and families they serve. Within each cohort, there are unique learning, support and community-building opportunities, specifically for leaders of color.

Applicants Should Demonstrate A track record of three-to-five years of demonstrated success in a leadership role at a school, district, or charter school network. A record of operating schools that outperform the local school district on state-administered assessments and perform well compared to the average school in their state.

A commitment to serving students from underserved backgrounds and working in communities with few high-quality public-school options. This includes, but is not limited to, low-income students, overage, under credited students, students with special needs, foster youth, and homeless youth. A desire to grow and serve 250-1,000 additional students, typically by adding between one and three schools in the next two years.

The Seed funding application will open in fall 2026. Our team identifies semi-finalists to advance to the next round for consideration. We get to know our semi-finalists through focused visits to their schools.

We select ~10-15 finalists who will receive growth funding and become members of the annual Seed Cohort. Learn more about our newest Seed cohort here! Please fill out this brief form, and we will get in touch with you to learn more.

We are looking for leaders who want to expand their high-performing public charter schools by growing to serve roughly 1,000+ additional students in the next 3-5 years. We provide grants and low-interest loans of $750,000+ to help promising public charter schools pursue their multi-year plan to open new schools and increase their impact. Once awarded, these grants and loans are disbursed over a three to five-year period.

We work alongside charter leaders to help them navigate the challenges of growth and deliver for students and families. Our investment and structured finance team members not only bring financial and strategic expertise to their work, but have typically worked in schools and can relate to the experiences of our portfolio leaders.

We build a collaborative community among the nation’s foremost charter leaders and coordinate meaningful opportunities for them to learn from one another. These gatherings include our annual Portfolio Retreat for CEOs, as well as 15-20 smaller convenings every year for senior leaders. SUPPORT, INSIGHTS & SOLUTIONS Through our impact team, we spotlight and share practices that make schools and organizations better.

We are willing to invest in scalable solutions and innovations to accelerate performance, and can provide short-term consulting support. Our four practice areas are academics & character, talent; finance & operations, and college access/alumni success. The Scale strategy has a rolling application timeline and process.

Provide basic information by completing the brief questionnaire below. We will contact you to learn more about your organization. Contact Us After an initial conversation, we collect information on the academic performance and overall health of your school(s).

Our team will then review this information and determine whether it makes sense to move forward at this time. We will get to know you and your organization’s vision for serving more students, and work with you to develop a viable plan to grow and expand your impact. We provide multi-year grants and low-interest loans to help you open new schools and increase your impact.

Please fill out this brief form and we will get in touch with you if we are interested in learning more. Our mission at KIPP Nashville is to cultivate in our students the academic and character skills needed to succeed in college and beyond. CSGF has been an invaluable partner to us on our journey to serve more students well.

Randy Dowell, Executive Director, KIPP Nashville Charter School Growth Fund 1390 Lawrence Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80204