The McDougal Family Foundation’s Strengthening Learning Environments for Equity grantmaking program supports efforts to create high-school learning environments that produce equitable outcomes for African American and Latinx students in Chicago Public Schools.

We believe that all young people should have access to vibrant, supportive, and challenging educational experiences that affirm who they are and prepare them to thrive as adults.

We seek to invest in:

  • Strategies that use research on how young people learn to build school-wide teaching practices that strengthen students’ academic mindsets.

  • Efforts to increase and retain the number of high-quality teachers who are reflective of the racial and cultural demographics of the student body.

  • Creation and testing of policies and practices that improve school environments for students and lead to more equitable student experiences and outcomes.

Overall, MFF will give priority to organizations and schools that:

  • Work in high schools serving high percentages of African American, Latinx, and low-income students.

  • Build the ongoing capacity of a school to change and sustain new practices or policies.

  • Develop innovative approaches that will contribute valuable examples, information, and knowledge to others working in the field.

  • Work in multiple schools to test approaches across learning environments.

  • Assess and document how their work leads to improvements in student academic outcomes.

  • Monitor the effectiveness of their work and implement lessons.

In all reviews of applications, we look for strong program designs with clear expected outcomes and specific procedures for assessing and evaluating progress.

Grants are not available for:

  • Endowments or capital campaigns/ projects

  • Debt or deficit reduction

  • Religious or political purposes

  • Efforts that focus on student enrichment or student-focused work

Application Process

Deadlines: Decisions:

November 15, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. CST February 2025

April 19, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. CST July 2025


Applications are accessed online: CLICK HERE

Reporting

Should you receive a grant, you will be expected to submit a final report at the completion of the grant period. We accept final reports prepared for other funders.

Note to Current Grantees: If you plan to re-apply for funding, please submit a 10‐month final report with your application. The report form is in the grant portal.

photo: Embarc