About 50can
50can Inc. places summer learning at the center of its recent grantmaking, with its largest listed award going to The Mind Trust Inc. for Summer Boost and repeated support for school networks and charter operators in multiple years. The pattern points to a funder that uses large, direct grants to expand short-term academic programming for school-aged children, especially in K-12 settings. Several of the biggest awards also went to Success Academy, Dream Charter School, and Friendship Public Charter School, showing that the foundation works with established education organizations rather than individuals.
Beyond the seasonal program itself, 50can Inc. funds education entrepreneurship and advocacy infrastructure through its active programs. Builder support is designed to provide back-office services such as finance, payroll, HR, communications, and strategy so education leaders can focus on building and scaling their organizations. The foundation also maintains fellowship programming, including the 50CAN Math & Data Science Fellowship and the National Voices Fellowship, which build technical and communications capacity for education advocates. Across these efforts, the foundation’s giving reflects a focus on student-centered education policy and delivery.
What 50can Funds
In summer learning and enrichment, 50can Inc. backs direct service programming at scale. It gave $2,266,000 to Idea Public Schools in Weslaco, Texas, to support Summer Boost, and $1,707,200 to Friendship Public Charter School in Washington, DC, for the same purpose.
Its support also reaches charter-school networks and other K-12 operators delivering academic recovery. The foundation awarded $1,722,240 to Riverwalk Education Foundation Inc. (schools of Science and Technology) in San Antonio, Texas, to support Summer Boost, and $1,141,396 to Texas Council for International Studies (old) in Dallas, Texas, for Summer Boost.
Another thread is leadership and communications development. Through its fellowship programs, 50can Inc. supports education advocates with policy, media, and technical training, including the Math & Data Science Fellowship and the National Voices Fellowship.
How 50can Gives
Typical grants are large: the 25th percentile is $89,775, the median is $181,440, and the 75th percentile is $308,000. The recent grants list shows repeated awards to the same recipients across multiple years, including Summer Boost support for several organizations in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. 50can Inc. is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Builder applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed in February and November each year; several fellowship programs are also open to unsolicited applications.
