About Great Public Schools Now
GPSN is a non-profit intermediary organization exclusively focused on improving Los Angeles public education. Guided by our vision, our mission is to bring together the Los Angeles community to catalyze the transformation of the public education system so that students of color and students living in poverty gain the knowledge, skills, and experiences to lead thriving adult lives.
Focus Areas
Public educationLAUSDCollege and career readinessCommunity schoolsDigital equityNonprofit partnershipsWorkforce developmentTeacher recruitment and retention
Who They Fund
LAUSD studentshigh school students (interns / pre-internship participants)charter school communities (Puente Charter School)
About Great Public Schools Now
Great Public Schools Now’s most distinctive recent pattern is its use of large, multi-part partnerships to expand access for LAUSD students across summer enrichment, internships, after-school programming, and teacher development. In 2023, it gave $676,934 to Educare Foundation for a Summer of Joy and COS pilot grant, $597,324 to LA’s BEST for Summer of Joy, and $592,372 to the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks for the same initiative. Those grants show a funder that works through schools, city agencies, and nonprofit intermediaries rather than only making small project awards. The foundation also supports initiatives that sit closer to system change than direct service. It made a $500,000 grant to Puente Learning Center for rehabilitation of Puente Charter School and a $277,500 grant to Linked Learning Alliance for the High School Internship Pilot partner agreement. In education policy and collective action, it has backed organizations such as The California Charter Schools Association, Families in Schools, and United Parents & Students. Across the portfolio, the common thread is Los Angeles public education and student opportunity for children and teens in the district.
What Great Public Schools Now Funds
Summer enrichment is a major part of the foundation’s work. It gave $676,934 to Educare Foundation for a 2022 Summer of Joy and COS pilot grant, and also funded LA’s BEST, the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, and Woodcraft Rangers through the same initiative. For internships and workforce pathways, Great Public Schools Now committed $277,500 to Linked Learning Alliance for the High School Internship Pilot partner agreement. That aligns with its emphasis on paid high school internships and partnership-based placement. Teacher development appears through its support for Modern Classrooms Project, which received $200,000 for a 2023-2025 catalytic initiatives grant. On the advocacy side, the foundation gave $300,000 to The California Charter Schools Association for a collective action advocacy grant and $225,000 to Families in Schools for a 2023-2025 collective action advocacy grant.
How Great Public Schools Now Gives
The typical grant size sits at $20,000 at the 25th percentile, a median of $45,283, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from smaller advocacy and partnership grants to six-figure pilot and initiative funding, indicating a mix of one-off awards and structured multi-year support. The grant list also shows repeated support for recurring initiatives such as Summer of Joy and collective action advocacy, alongside pilot work in internships and teacher development. Great Public Schools Now is a regular funder and does not fund individuals. It makes grants rather than program-related investments, and the available records do not show an open application process for every program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.1M
Total Assets
$7M
Total Revenue
$3.7M
Total Expenses
$6.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $20K and $100K, with a median of $45K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$45K
75th Percentile
$100K
Geographic Reach
Local8 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ANA PONCE
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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