October 2012

Matchbook Learning is pleased to announce that it has won one of the top awards for new non-profits, a Draper Richards Kaplan Social Entrepreneurship Grant! In a global search, Matchbook Learning was identified as one of the highest-potential new non-profits and was awarded the prestigious Draper Richards Kaplan nonprofit social entrepreneur fellowship.  The Draper Richard Kaplan Foundation is a venture philanthropy fund that supports early-stage nonprofits that have the potential to change the world.

“I am excited to support Matchbook Learning and proud to have Sajan join our portfolio of social entrepreneurs.” said William H. Draper III, Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation.

“Turning around the lowest performing district schools is an audacious challenge.  Matchbook Learning is harnessing the latest instructional technology with best practices in teacher training to demonstrate what is possible.” said Brendan Cullen, Portfolio Director of Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation.

This award recognizes Matchbook Learning’s important work in turning around our nation’s bottom 5% performing schools with a unique blended model of school. The award is a testament both to the important work of Matchbook Learning and the exciting potential for expansion in the future. We are excited and energized to continue to build a movement that transforms the country by turning around the performance of our most challenged schools, creating powerful proof points by blending virtual and face-to-face instruction via technology that can be a sustainable, scalable turnaround solution for US K-12 public education.

The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation works to support visionary social entrepreneurs who generate sustainable impact at a large scale. The Foundation finds nonprofits led by talented social entrepreneurs with high impact models, funds those early stage nonprofit organizations with $300,000 over three years and supports their growth and impact by serving as a board member and creating a learning community for the nonprofit leaders. This strategy has yielded strong social returns to date. The Foundation’s First fund started in 2002 and contributed $14 million to 30 nonprofit organizations. The portfolio addresses a range of issues domestically and internationally, including education, health, economic development, human rights and civic engagement. Organizations grew significantly during their time in the portfolio, increasing their budget on average 10x and reporting that their impact more than doubled each year.
For more information about the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, please visit http://www.drkfoundation.org.