$16M gift from MacKenzie Scott Supports LPI’s Mission to Advance Evidence-Based Policies for Equitable and Empowering Learning

LPI is pleased to announce that it is a recipient of a $16 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. LPI is one of hundreds of organizations to receive funding from Scott to further the donors’ mission of supporting equity-oriented, non-profit organizations supporting historically underfunded and underserved communities.

Since 2015, LPI has brought high-quality evidence into policy deliberations at the federal, state, and local levels with support from our funders. They have supported our mission to conduct and communicate research that fosters equity and access to a high-quality education for each and every child. Thanks to their generosity, our work has informed education policy and practice in transformational and systemic ways.

Through general operating support from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Raikes Foundation, and Sandler Foundation and additional funding from many other generous donors, LPI has helped states and districts to advance systemic change on multiple fronts by providing rigorous, actionable research to governors’ offices, legislatures, state boards, education agencies, Congress, and our partners.

This gift helps ensure LPI’s long-term sustainability and deepens our capacity to sustain and expand a stellar team of leading education research and policy experts. The funds will also support LPI’s capacity to lead rapid-response policy and practice research addressing the pressing issues of the day—work that has only grown more critical since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our funders, staff, and many partners have come together because we share a commitment to creating equitable and empowering education systems for each and every student. With this new donation, we not only have the capacity to sustain our work but also to increase its quality, timeliness, and reach.