Building on What Works Highlights Investments in Evidence-Based Strategies for Helping At-Risk Students Succeed

Each year, Great Lakes publishes a philanthropy report outlining the previous year’s grantmaking activity. This year’s report, Building on What Works, describes our efforts over the past year to leverage existing knowledge to address barriers that prevent many students of color, students from low-income households and first-generation students from completing their degree or credential.

Great Lakes committed $73 million in grant funding in 2017, our highest annual total by far. The report details several grants that collectively illustrate how our philanthropy builds on the experience and insights of respected researchers and practitioners as we work to evaluate and scale strategies likely to have the greatest impact. Those grants are called out in three sections of the report:

Building on What Works also outlines Great Lakes’ unique three-pronged funding approach, designed to support projects that explore promising ideas, evaluate approaches believed to be effective, and expand the reach of programs with proven impact. And finally, the report includes a brief preview of a few of the grants on tap for 2018.

The 2017 Great Lakes Education Philanthropy Report, Building on What Works, is available online now.