The Kenneth Rainin Foundation awarded $5,864,622 in Education grants in March to launch Accelerating Literacy Leadership. This five-year invite-only funding program recognizes schools as sites of change for literacy and centers principals as key agents of change. In partnership with the Oakland Public Education Fund, this grantmaking round will support ten Oakland Unified School District schools and one Aspire Public School, including:
- ACORN Woodland Elementary
- Allendale Elementary
- Aspire College Triumph Academy
- Burckhalter Elementary
- Carl Munck Elementary
- Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy
- Hoover Elementary
- Horace Mann Elementary
- La Escuelita Elementary
- Laurel Elementary
- Oakland Academy of Knowledge
These schools will receive access to resources to help them achieve their annual literacy goals, including:
- Literacy and leadership coaching for school principals
- Implementation support for school systems
- Parent-involved literacy programming
- Tier 3 literacy interventions for kindergartners and first graders
- Flexible implementation funding for schools
The following organizations received funding to provide essential supports:
- Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation
- Families in Action
- Oakland Public Education Fund
Explore these Education grantees and their funded work.
Because the schools operate within larger district or charter management organizations, strong research aligned and central support is fundamental for success. The Accelerating Literacy Leadership Institute, a project of the Oakland Public Education Fund, will serve as the implementation partner for districts with participating schools. The Institute will sit alongside districts to turn strategy into high-quality, lasting practices that can withstand leadership changes, political cycles and competing priorities.
Accelerating Literacy Leadership was developed and designed with our Community Advisory Council and further refined during a pilot with six schools in 2025. The program intends to bolster school-level literacy support and establish local impact to shape improved public policy and funding. It reflects our strategies that aim to strengthen early literacy education and complement existing resources and people power to raise literacy rates. The Foundation remains focused on ensuring that every child enters kindergarten ready to learn and is reading at grade level by third grade.
Want to learn more about our grantees and their partnerships? Contact our Education Program Team.
About The Kenneth Rainin Foundation
Kenneth Rainin Foundation is a family foundation that collaborates with creative thinkers in the Arts, Education and Health. We believe in taking smart risks to achieve breakthroughs. The Foundation supports visionary artists in the Bay Area, creates opportunities for Oakland’s youngest learners and funds researchers at the forefront of scientific discoveries. Since 2009, the Foundation has awarded over $61 million in funding to support evidence-based practices to help children become confident, capable and joyful learners. Learn more about the Rainin Foundation’s grantmaking.
