Funding Our Partnership
Funding sources to support school design and PL that boost student learning
Opportunity Culture® school designs are proven, evidence-based staffing designs that boost student learning by 2–13 months each school year—while increasing teacher satisfaction and reducing vacancies and turnover. Educators earn more long-term—within recurring budgets, according to a key design principle.
Districts and schools fund our design and professional learning services from various federal, state, and local funding sources. Your district will receive an excellent return on investment from our services.
Contact us for help to meet your goals affordably.
Typical Funding Options for Our Technical Assistance and Professional Learning Services
Federal Funding
- District-controlled Title I funds, including school improvement funds (see more below)
- District-controlled Title II funds (see below)
- District-controlled IDEA funds (if special education is part of your district’s vision for Opportunity Culture® use; read how some districts use the model to support special education)
- Federal grants for teacher professional learning, teacher retention, teacher pipeline development (e.g., SEED, TQP, TSL)
- School-controlled Title I funds. Example: A district’s schools include a component for design and implementation services in their school sustainability plans, so each school contributes to a portion of the overall service contract.
State Funding
State grants for:
- Funding for implementation of high-quality instructional materials and curriculum (if an eligible use is planning and providing support for teachers in implementation)
- Grants for tutoring (if eligible uses include designing tutoring programs)
- Flexible funding for innovation or school improvement/turnaround
Local Funding & Philanthropy
- District-controlled local funds
- Creative use of vacancies in central office: Districts can use unfilled vacancies to fund design support
- Local or private philanthropic funders
You may be able to access Candid’s Foundation Directory free via one of their community partners using this search tool.
Using Title I and II Funds to Support School Design that Boosts Student Learning
How can SEAs and LEAs use Title funds for Opportunity Culture® school redesign?
State Education Agencies (SEAs) Can:
Lead: Contract with the Opportunity Culture® (OC®) initiative to reach many LEAs with assistance in affordable cohorts, so each LEA does not have to procure alone—to maximize learning and economic effects. States launching or expanding can do this.
Incentivize: Invite LEAs to apply for state Title II funds to pay for transition support to OC® designs, requiring matching LEA $
Guide: Encourage LEAs to use a portion of their Title II funds for OC® design assistance
States should consider repurposing Title-funded state positions to support and monitor redesign quality and student reach.
Local Education Agencies (LEAs) Can:
Lead: Use their own Title II funds to obtain OC® design assistance to create cohorts of designing schools, starting with ones struggling to achieve student learning growth
Incentivize: In higher-need schools, offer higher teacher-leader supplements to attract and retain excellent teachers
Guide: Give schools flexibility to implement OC® models fully and to spend recurring Title II funds on a subscription to the Opportunity Culture® design and PL portal and hourly design coaching, and encourage them to use this flexibility
Districts should consider repurposing Title II-funded district vacancies to support and monitor redesign quality and student reach.
In early 2026, the U.S. Department of Education released guidance encouraging states and school systems to use Title II and Title I fund (“Title funding”) to redesign schools for stronger learning and educator satisfaction using “strategic staffing.”
Traditional uses of these funds, such as for professional development sessions, have not achieved significant, sustained student learning results, despite many strong efforts. Training and coaching alone still leave teachers working largely alone, unable to advance and earn more without leaving teaching—and with no way to learn from outstanding peers on the job. By investing Title funds in data- and research-proven design, states and districts can transform schools into better places to teach and learn, long-term.
For more information, please contact us!