Our Vision

Mission

The NEA Foundation is a national nonprofit and philanthropic organization based in Washington, DC. Founded by educators, our mission is to work in partnership with others to promote the absolute best in public education. We believe that the most innovative and effective education policies and practices emanate from educators engaged in authentic partnership with policymakers, students, parents, and others who are committed to justice, antiracism, equity, excellence, and opportunity. Through the transformative power of these partnerships, we believe we can improve both students’ and communities’ educational experiences and outcomes.

The NEA Foundation achieves its mission by:

• investing in educators’ leadership, shared learning and collaboration;
• supporting partnerships whose actions prioritize antiracism, educational justice, equity, excellence, and opportunity; and
• sharing improvements in education policy and practice resulting from educators’ and their partners’ thought leadership.

Vision

The NEA Foundation envisions schools as places that foster both educators’ and students’ love of learning, enabling both to excel. A high-quality, well-resourced public education should be every child’s civil right.

We recognize that the realization of this vision will require rigorous teaching and learning at every educational level; equitable and just educational resources and practices; an appreciation of students’ and educators’ full identity, physical, social and emotional well-being; the eradication of racism, prejudice, and negative biases or mindsets; and both the public and policymakers’ openness to innovation and change.

Values

Educator Leadership

Schools and policymakers that embrace educators as thought leaders are better able to respond to pressing educational challenges.

Antiracism

The NEA Foundation actively seeks to promote knowledge, actions, and policies that oppose racism and lead to racial equality.

Embracing the Whole-Child

Children bring their whole selves to school, including sometimes-unaddressed needs that can affect their opportunity to learn. A high-quality education is responsive to the conditions that bear on student learning, including neighborhood and environmental conditions; access to food, housing, health care, and technology; and children’s exposure to culturally-relevant, diverse, and encouraging developmental experiences.

Partnership

Educators and schools alone cannot meet every student need. The NEA Foundation celebrates the many varied contributions of educators, students, families, and the broader community — including public and private entities at the neighborhood, state, and federal levels — as well as all who support student learning and student success.

The Public Good

Public education is not only the gateway to individual opportunity, it is the cornerstone of a vibrant democracy and a flourishing economy. Public schools foster students’ respect for the dignity and worth of every individual, equipping them to become empathetic and informed participants in civil society.

Justice

Justice and equity result when individuals and institutions grow in their understanding of structural and racial inequalities and how these wrongs can influence policy, educational practice, and children’s educational experiences and outcomes. To ensure education justice, equity, and opportunity, The NEA Foundation supports the just and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities. Further, we advocate for the proactive identification of root causes of racial disparities and the systematic removal of institutional and structural barriers to the fair treatment of people of all races.