Strengthening School Leadership

The Barr Foundation’s “Strengthening School Leadership: Driving Instructional Improvement” grant opportunity is designed to support public school systems in Massachusetts in creating the necessary conditions for principals to drive instructional improvement. The Barr Foundation, based in Boston and founded in 1997, has over $2.8 billion in assets and a strong history of supporting education, the arts, and climate change initiatives. This grant falls under the foundation’s “Invest in Educators” strategy, which focuses on enhancing the effectiveness and diversity of educators and school leaders. The foundation prioritizes racial equity, long-term impact, and strategic risk-taking in its philanthropic work. This funding initiative invites Massachusetts Local Education Agencies (LEAs), including districts and charter organizations with at least six schools and a minimum of 2,500 students (including one high school with at least 950 students), to apply for grants up to $200,000. These grants span 18 to 24 months and support reflection, planning, and initial pilot implementation related to instructional leadership. LEAs not meeting these requirements individually may apply in partnership with others. Selected districts will collaborate with Attuned Education Partners for strategic planning and a research partner to help develop a learning agenda aimed at tracking progress and sharing insights. The grant encourages systemic reflection on school leadership and requires applicants to engage multiple stakeholders from the outset, including teachers, principals, and central office leaders. The planning process will be guided by phases including data gathering (September–December 2025), discovery of solutions (January–February 2026), and detailed pilot planning (March–June 2026). The pilot implementation is set to begin in July 2026, with the potential for multi-year funding starting in the 2027–2028 school year. Application requirements include organizational information, a detailed budget proposal, and a narrative addressing current instructional practices, leadership strengths and needs, stakeholder engagement plans, and anticipated outputs and outcomes. Final proposals are due by June 30, 2025, with finalist follow-ups and awards announced in October 2025. A pre-application webinar is scheduled for May 19, 2025, and office hour consultations are available between May 21 and June 6, 2025. Proposals must also demonstrate alignment with Barr’s core values and strategic priorities, particularly around racial equity and inclusive leadership. This initiative builds on a successful earlier cohort, where participating districts saw improvements in leader retention, diversity among principals, and instructional leadership capacity. These early results have guided the design of the current opportunity to ensure that selected districts can build coherent strategies to improve student learning outcomes at scale. All application materials must be submitted via email to EducationRFP@barrfoundation.org. The Barr Foundation encourages applicants to use the provided templates and submit any questions, webinar RSVPs, or office hour signups to the same contact email.