A-Street: Adding impact investments as a complimentary pathway to impact

Challenging times for schools, teachers and children 

Across the United States, schools are navigating growing challenges. Not least constrained budgets and learning outcomes that have yet to fully recover from the pandemic are making it harder to give every child the support they need to thrive. New technologies, including AI, can play a valuable role - but only when they reduce complexity rather than add to it.  The greatest potential lies in solutions that help educators spend less time on administrative tasks and more time supporting children’s learning and wellbeing. By keeping human relationships at the centre of every classroom, technology can help create better conditions for both children and teachers to thrive.

Improving student outcomes  

To help create these conditions, we are deploying patient, impact-focused investment capital to scale high-quality, evidence-based, and coherent solutions that improve children’s learning and wellbeing. By partnering with A-Street, a multi-stage investment fund focused on improving PK-12 student learning and achievement in the US, we look to support companies developing practical, trusted tools that strengthen teaching and improve learning. Together with other investors, including members of Walmart-owners the Walton family, original investors in A-Street, we look to enable A-Street to expand its investment activity, strengthen hands-on support for portfolio companies, and continue aligning capital with research-backed avenues to learning. 

Approaches go hand-in-hand 

With our first large-scale impact investment we are pursuing multiple pathways to outcomes – going forward both through investments in companies delivering measurable student outcomes and through our traditional philanthropic grant making.  In addition to learning outcomes, we are seeking a financial return from our impact investments. Any financial return generated will remain within the Foundation, to be reinvested into either new grants or new impact investments. The model is circular by design: strengthening our ability to deliver impact. And reaching more children over time.