This was originally posted in 2013 at the Washington Post website but is worth a read now.
Gates gives $150 million in grants for Common Core Standards
For an initiative billed as being publicly driven, the Common Core States Initiative has benefited enormously from the generosity of the private philanthropy of Bill and Melinda Gates. How much? About $150 million worth.
Take a look at this list of grants, obtained from their foundation’s Web site. Note not only the amounts but the wide range of organizations receiving money. Universities. Unions. State education departments. Nonprofits. Think tanks. The grants were given for a range of reasons, including developing materials aligned to the standards and building support for the standards.
You can see how invested the Gates Foundation is in the success of the Common Core. What kind of Core support do these grants buy from the organizations that receive them?
If you want to see what each grant is for, click here and you can access each grant description. At the bottom of the list are a few descriptions of specific grants.
| WestEd | 2013 | College-Ready | US Program | $30,000 |
| LearnZillion, Inc. | 2013 | College-Ready | US Program | $965,525 |
| University of Kentucky Research Foundation | 2013 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,000,000 |
| Delaware Department of Education | 2013 | College-Ready | US Program | $400,000 |
| National Paideia Center Inc | 2013 | College-Ready | US Program | $659,788 |
| The Aspen Institute Inc | 2013 | College-Ready | US Program | $3,615,655 |
| The Achievement Network | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $3,002,252 |
| Kentucky Department of Education | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,903,089 |
| Colorado Legacy Foundation | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,748,337 |
| Fund for Public Schools Inc | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,815,810 |
| Council of Chief State School Officers | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $475,000 |
| BetterLesson, Inc. | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $3,527,240 |
| The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $99,997 |
| JUMP Math | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $698,587 |
| Center for Curriculum Redesign Inc. | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $198,000 |
| Pennsylvania Business Roundtable Educational Foundation | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $257,391 |
| American Federation Of Teachers Educational Foundation | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $4,400,000 |
| University of Arizona | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $3,416,901 |
| American Enterprise Institute For Public Policy Research | 2012 | Global Policy & Advocacy | US Program | $1,068,788 |
| State Education Technology | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $500,000 |
| Student Achievement Partners Inc | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $4,042,920 |
| Baton Rouge Area Foundation | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $500,000 |
| National Governors Association Center For Best Practices | 2012 | Strategic Partnerships | US Program | $37,674 |
| University of Michigan | 2012 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,999,999 |
| The College-Ready Promise | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $300,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $2,889,132 |
| Scholastic Inc. | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $4,463,541 |
| New Venture Fund | 2011 | Global Policy & Advocacy | US Program | $378,000 |
| Learning Forward | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $999,795 |
| The University of the State of New York | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $600,000 |
| Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Inc. | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $350,000 |
| Americas Promise-The Alliance For Youth | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $500,000 |
| Hillsborough County Council of PTA/PTSAs | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $25,000 |
| Military Child Education Coalition | 2011 | Global Policy & Advocacy | US Program | $149,965 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc. | 2011 | Postsecondary Success | US Program | $4,618,652 |
| Council of State Governments | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $369,623 |
| Khan Academy Inc. | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $4,079,361 |
| National Writing Project | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $3,095,593 |
| National Indian Education Association | 2011 | Strategic Partnerships | US Program | $500,000 |
| Council Of The Great City Schools | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $4,910,988 |
| Council of Chief State School Officers | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $9,388,911 |
| Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $198,206 |
| Creative Commons Corporation | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $812,955 |
| Louisiana Department of Education | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $7,351,708 |
| Colorado Legacy Foundation | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $9,707,210 |
| Kentucky Department of Education | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $9,125,277 |
| American Federation Of Teachers Educational Foundation | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,000,000 |
| Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2011 | Community Grants | US Program | $75,000 |
| Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $3,024,695 |
| National Association of State Boards of Education | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,077,960 |
| National Governors Association Center For Best Practices | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,598,477 |
| Reasoning Mind, Inc. | 2011 | College-Ready | US Program | $742,996 |
| MetaMetrics, Inc. | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $3,468,005 |
| New Visions for Public Schools, Inc | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $8,149,935 |
| Pennsylvania Department of Education | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $526,960 |
| The University of the State of New York | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $892,500 |
| Kentucky Department of Education | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,000,000 |
| Georgia Department of Education | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,980,892 |
| Center for Teaching Quality, Inc. | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $395,836 |
| Alliance for Excellent Education, Inc. | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $3,200,004 |
| Education Commission of the States | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $799,221 |
| Albuquerque Public Schools | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $500,000 |
| Khan Academy Inc. | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,464,667 |
| School District of Philadelphia | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $500,000 |
| Cleveland Metropolitan School District | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $497,752 |
| Cristo Rey Network | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $556,006 |
| Research for Action Inc | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,309,409 |
| Purdue University | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $1,453,832 |
| Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, Inc. | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $151,431 |
| Forsyth County Schools | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $151,200 |
| New York University | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $40,282 |
| Council Of The Great City Schools | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $100,000 |
| Council of State Governments | 2010 | College-Ready | US Program | $399,953 |
| Common Core Inc. | 2009 and earlier | College-Ready | US Program | $550,844 |
| James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Foundation, Inc. | 2009 and earlier | College-Ready | US Program | $5,549,352 |
| Alliance for Excellent Education, Inc. | 2009 and earlier | College-Ready | US Program | $551,336 |
| National Association of State Boards of Education | 2009 and earlier | College-Ready | US Program | $450,675 |
| Thomas B. Fordham Institute | 2009 and earlier | College-Ready | US Program | $959,116 |
| The Education Trust | 2009 and earlier | College-Ready | US Program | $2,039,526 |
| Military Child Education Coalition | 2009 and earlier | Global Policy & Advocacy | US Program | $269,998 |
Here are some specific grants:
The Aspen Institute
Date: January 2013
Purpose: to support the Aspen Institute’s Urban Superintendents Network, develop resources to integrate Common Core State Standards and educator effectiveness policies and practices, and use lessons from the field to inform national policy
Amount: $3,615,655
Term: 24
Topic: College-Ready
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Grantee Website: http://www.aspeninstitute.org/
–
Scholastic, Inc.
Date: November 2011
Purpose: to support teachers’ implementation of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics
Amount: $4,463,541
Term: 37
Topic: College-Ready
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: New York, New York
Grantee Website: http://www2.scholastic.com
–
American Federation Of Teachers Educational Foundation
Date: June 2012
Purpose: to support the AFT Innovation Fund and work on teacher development and Common Core State Standards
Amount: $4,400,000
Term: 24
Topic: College-Ready
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Grantee Website: http://www.aft.org
–
The NEA [National Education Association] Foundation for the Improvement of Education
Date: October 2012
Purpose: to build and enhance teacher voice in the development and implementation of the teacher and leader Professional Growth and Effectiveness System and the Common Core State Standards
Amount: $99,997
Term: 8
Topic: College-Ready, Global Policy & Advocacy
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Grantee Website: http://www.neafoundation.org/
–
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.
Date: October 2011
Purpose: to partner with other foundations to support a project fund supporting state-led efforts aligning higher education placement requirements with college readiness assessments developed through the Common Core assessment consortia
Amount: $4,618,652
Term: 44
Topic: Postsecondary Success
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: New York, New York
Grantee Website: http://www.rockpa.org
–
Khan Academy Inc.
Date: July 2011
Purpose: to develop the remaining K-12 math exercises to ensure full coverage of the Common Core math standards and form a small team to implement a blended learning model
Amount: $4,079,361
Term: 17
Topic: College-Ready
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Mountain View, California
Grantee Website: http://www.khanacademy.org/
–
Council Of The Great City Schools
Date: June 2011
Purpose: to promote and coordinate successful implementation of the new common core standards in major urban public school systems nationwide
Amount: $4,910,988
Term: 37
Topic: College-Ready
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Grantee Website: http://www.cgcs.org
–
Council of Chief State School Officers
Date: June 2011
Purpose: to support the Common Core State Standards work
Amount: $9,388,911
Term: 36
Topic: College-Ready
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Grantee Website: http://www.ccsso.org
–
Kentucky Department of Education
Date: June 2011
Purpose: to provide organizational support to the Kentucky Department of Education related to implementation of the Common Core State Standards & teacher development and evaluation systems
Amount: $9,125,277
Term: 35
Topic: College-Ready
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Frankfort, Kentucky
Grantee Website: http://www.kde.state.ky.us
–
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Date: February 2011
Purpose: to provide teachers and school leaders with supports to implement the Common Core State Standards at the district, school, and classroom levels
Amount: $3,024,695
Term: 35
Topic: College-Ready
Regions Served: GLOBAL|NORTH AMERICA
Program: United States
Grantee Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Grantee Website: http://www.ascd.org
Seattle Education 