Expanding Educator Diversity

Excellent teachers are key to unlocking powerful learning experiences.

Research shows that all students thrive when their educators are racially and ethnically diverse. This is especially true for students of color. The presence of teachers of color contributes to positive academic and non-academic outcomes (reduced absenteeism, increased admission to gifted programs, reduced dropout rates, and increased likelihood to enroll in four-year college) for students of color.

However, while students of color account for 37.6% of learners in Allegheny County, as of the 2022-23 school year, teachers of color represented just 4.6% of the 10,700 teachers in the county’s public schools. This disparity contributes to the racial achievement gap and hinders the learning outcomes of our region's children. It also plays a part in disincentivizing youth of color from pursuing careers in teaching. At the same time, college debt, stagnant wages and stressful working conditions drive qualified teachers away in droves.

Recognizing these systemic challenges, our vision is that all Allegheny County students of color are taught by high-quality teachers of color throughout their PreK-12 schooling.

What We Fund

Prior to submitting your form, we strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with local recommendations, connect with the Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium, and learn more about initiatives that we have recently funded, including The Power of One at Carlow University and the FAME Teachers’ Academy.

  • Efforts that increase access to and completion of high-quality teacher preparation programs for educators of color;

  • Highly collaborative partnerships that increase access to models such as teacher residencies, grow your own programs, and those that leverage dual enrollment, apprenticeships, and career and technical training;

  • Initiatives that promote recruitment of/and retention for educators of color; and

  • Systems-level efforts, including network building, research, and efforts to advance public policy.

Our Priorities

Our goal is to increase the number of educators of color working in Allegheny County, by funding efforts to recruit, train, retain, and sustain teachers of color. We will prioritize initiatives led and informed by leaders of color and organizations with a demonstrated commitment to accelerating equity in learning spaces in Allegheny County.

What We Are Unlikely to Fund

  • Initiatives operating outside of and/or without a direct benefit to Allegheny County.

  • Initiatives benefiting a single school/district.

How to Apply

Please answer the following questions to determine the next steps for your application: