NACSA established The Fund for Authorizing Excellence (The Fund) earlier this year to provide direct support to NACSA members who are working to create charter environments that foster schools with high student achievement. The critical challenge facing our sector remains quality, and The Fund is making investments now to build a future for quality authorizing.

Thanks to the generous support of the Walton Family Foundation, grants were awarded Tuesday, October 20 to the following recipients at the 2009 NACSA Leadership Conference:

• Georgia Charter Schools Commission: Starting Fresh ($35,000) The Charter Schools Commission is a new authorizer, and through this grant award will develop and finalize its first strategic plan.
• Milwaukee Common Council: Passive to Proactive ($35,000) Grant funds will be utilized to develop and finalize a strategic plan that changes the Common Council’s strategic direction from one that passively accepts applications for new schools, to one that more proactively seeks applicants.
• Indianapolis Mayor’s Office: Good to Great ($100,000) Indianapolis will use the funds to implement two pilot projects and a reporting initiative that will improve overall school accountability for student achievement.

These strategic investments by NACSA in the nation’s authorizers provide money that may not otherwise be available for critical improvements in policy and practice.

In the spring of 2010, NACSA will be competitively awarding grants through The Fund to eligible candidates.