WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Building Hope, the non-profit leader in charter school facilities, financing, and services, today announced names of 27 semi-finalists in the first annual Building Hope IMPACT Summit and Awards. The awards received interest from nearly 400 charter school applicants stretching across 38 states.
The Building Hope IMPACT Grants will honor charter schools for making an impact on community engagement, educational innovation, and student empowerment. Three grants will ultimately be awarded in each category: one $20,000 grant and two $10,000 grants.
The 2022 IMPACT Awards Semi-finalists are:
Student Empowerment
- Ánimo Compton Charter School, Los Angeles, CA
- District of Columbia International School, Washington, DC
- East Palo Alto Academy, East Palo Alto, CA
- Hope Academy, Inc., Indianapolis, IN
- Minnesota Online High School, St. Paul, MN
- Palm Beach School for Autism, Lake Worth, FL
- People's Preparatory Charter School, Newark, NJ
- Prospect Hill Academy Charter School, Cambridge, MA
- Richard Wright Schools, Washington, DC
Community Engagement
- Amy Biehl High School, Albuquerque, NM
- Austin Achieve Public Schools, Austin, TX
- Common Ground High School, New Haven, CT
- Hawaii Technology Academy, Waipahu, HI
- International Community School, Decatur, GA
- Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School, Brooklyn, NY
- Monument Academy PCS, Washington, DC
- Nap Ford Community School, Inc. dba Legends Academy, Orlando, FL
- River City Science Academy Middle-High, Jacksonville, FL
- Wooddale Middle School, Memphis, TN
Education Innovation
- Academy for Global Citizenship, Chicago, IL
- Beta Academy, Houston, TX
- Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School, Philadelphia, PA
- The Gathering Place, San Antonio, TX
- Genesee Community Charter School at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY
- Jane Goodall Environmental Sciences Academy, Maple Lake, MN
- The Learning Choice Academy, La Mesa, CA
- Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies, Elizabeth City, NC
“We congratulate these 27 charter schools and commend them on their outstanding service and dedication to charter school students, parents, and their local communities,” said President of Building Hope Joseph Bruno. “Each is an extraordinary and inspirational example of public charter school education at its best.”
Building Hope also named 12 schools as Honorable Mentions to highlight the amazing work these schools are doing to create impact for students:
Honorable Mentions
- Classical Academy High School, Escondido, CA
- Detroit Achievement Academy, Detroit, MI
- East Point Academy, West Columbia, SC
- Hoboken Charter School, Hoboken, NJ
- Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS, Washington, DC
- New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy, New Orleans, LA
- Orange County Academy of Sciences and Arts, Laguna Niguel, CA
- Santiago Charter Middle School, Orange, CA
- Sojourner Truth Public Charter School, Washington, DC
- Souderton Charter School Collaborative, Souderton, PA
- True North, Miami, FL
- Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School, Washington, DC
One of the event’s sponsors, The MCN Build Foundation, shared a message through its Director of Philanthropy, Michael Waidmann, who stated: “Our foundation is proud to sponsor the first annual Building Hope IMPACT Summit and Awards and support the incredible work charter schools do every day to help children get a better education, so they can build a better future for themselves, their families and society.”
IMPACT Award winners will be announced during Building Hope’s first annual IMPACT Summit taking place from June 22-24, 2022, in Washington, DC. The IMPACT Summit will gather a cohort of top charter school leaders for a deep-dive masterclass, so they may share their successes, discuss challenges, and inspire each other to increase their impact. Additional information is available at www.buildinghope.org/impactawards.
About Building Hope
Building Hope is a non-profit foundation created to support education and public charter schools. Since 2003, Building Hope has created impact by investing in facilities, financial, and operational services for charter schools nationwide. With Building Hope’s support, schools can devote more resources to educating students in underserved communities. Building Hope has supported over 300 charter school projects and more than 150,000 students in 20 states and the District of Columbia, by providing more than $375 million in direct loans, credit enhancements, and equity investments to support more than $2 billion in school construction. For more information about how Building Hope helps charter schools nationwide with facilities, financing, and operational services, visit www.buildinghope.org.