Investing in Community Wisdom to Advance Education Equity
At College Spark, we believe the most powerful solutions to inequity in education come from communities themselves. Through our Education Equity Fund (EEF), we invest in organizations and institutions that center lived experience, share power with students and families, and work to dismantle systemic barriers in Washington’s education system.
This newest round of EEF grants reflects that commitment. Together, these grantees are building youth leadership, organizing parents and caregivers, and preparing future educators to practice culturally sustaining, anti-racist teaching. Each effort advances community-centered wisdom—recognizing students, families, and communities as experts—and moves us closer to an education system rooted in dignity, belonging, and opportunity for all.
Below, we’re proud to introduce our newest Education Equity Fund partners and the work they will lead over the coming years.
Washington Ethnic Studies Now (WAESN)
Project: Youth Power Lab
Grant Award: $180,000 over three years
Washington Ethnic Studies Now is launching the Youth Power Lab, a statewide leadership and civic engagement program for high school students ages 14–18. Designed by and for young people most impacted by educational inequities, the Youth Power Lab will equip students with the knowledge, skills, and mentorship needed to influence the decisions that shape their schools and communities.
Participants will learn how education systems function, where power lives, and how to organize peers and build campaigns for change. With support from near-peer mentors, students will design and lead advocacy projects in their own schools or districts, culminating in an annual Youth Summit where they present their work to educators and policymakers.
Why it matters: The Youth Power Lab embodies community-centered wisdom by elevating student voice and leadership. By investing in young people as changemakers today, WAESN is helping build a pipeline of anti-racist leaders who will shape education policy and practice for years to come.
South King County Discipline Coalition (SKCDC)
Project: General Operating Support
Grant Award: $180,000 over two years
The South King County Discipline Coalition works to end the disproportionate discipline of students of color and interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline through parent- and youth-led organizing. This general operating support will allow SKCDC to deepen and expand its community-driven work across South King County and beyond.
SKCDC organizes trainings that help parents understand their rights, analyze institutional power, and collectively develop strategies to influence district policy and practice. Coalition members—primarily Black parents with lived experience navigating racist school systems—determine organizational priorities and lead advocacy efforts focused on replacing punitive discipline with restorative, affirming approaches.
Why it matters: SKCDC is a powerful example of community-centered decision-making in action. By trusting parents and caregivers to define problems and solutions, this work builds accountability, shifts power, and creates more just and supportive learning environments for students.
Seattle University
Project: Culturally Sustaining Equity Pedagogies in Special Education Teacher Preparation
Grant Award: $178,000 over three years
Seattle University is developing a new Special Education endorsement pathway grounded in social justice and culturally sustaining pedagogies. After discontinuing its previous program, SU is rebuilding its Special Education teacher preparation in close partnership with families, community advocates, and educators committed to equity.
The new program will prepare future Special Education teachers to move beyond deficit-based models and instead center students’ cultural assets, identities, and lived experiences. Coursework and practicum experiences will emphasize inclusive school design, anti-racist curriculum practices, and authentic family engagement, while also preparing teachers to act as advocates for system-level change.
Why it matters: Students of color are disproportionately represented in Special Education and often underserved by current systems. By embedding community wisdom and equity at the core of teacher preparation, this program aims to transform both classroom practice and broader school systems.
By embedding community wisdom and equity at the core of teacher preparation, this program aims to transform both classroom practice and broader school systems.
OneAmerica
Project: Pipeline for Multiracial School Board Leadership
Grant Award: $150,000 over three years
OneAmerica is continuing its partnership with College Spark to strengthen a statewide pipeline of equity-centered, multiracial school board leaders. This work responds to a persistent gap between the racial and cultural identities of Washington’s students and those who hold decision-making power on school boards.
Through recruitment, training, and mentorship, OneAmerica supports women and leaders of color to run for and serve on school boards with a strong grounding in community responsiveness and racial justice. Participants co-develop equity-centered platforms with students, parents, and community members and receive ongoing mentorship from sitting board members of color.
Why it matters: School boards play a critical role in shaping district priorities, leadership, and culture. By supporting leaders who reflect and are accountable to their communities, this work shifts power toward those most impacted by inequitable education systems.
Northeast Washington Educational Service District 101 (NEWESD101)
Project: ELEVATE – Empowering Learning Environments Via Anti-Racist Trauma-Informed Education
Grant Award: $180,000 over three years
NEWESD101 is launching ELEVATE, a regional, equity-centered leadership cadre for educators and administrators across Northeast Washington. Designed in partnership with community and student advisors, ELEVATE will support leaders who are committed to advancing anti-racist, trauma-informed practices in schools serving rural communities and Tribal students.
Participants will engage in sustained professional learning, peer collaboration, and coaching while leading equity improvement projects in their own schools or districts. The cadre will learn directly from community organizations and Tribal partners, grounding leadership development in local history, relationships, and student experience.
Why it matters: Equity leaders—particularly in rural regions—often face isolation and resistance. ELEVATE builds collective capacity, shared accountability, and durable networks so equity work can continue and deepen across systems.
Moving Forward Together
Across these investments, a shared vision emerges: education systems are strongest when they are shaped by the people most impacted by inequity. By supporting youth leadership, parent organizing, community-informed educator preparation, school board leadership development, and regional equity networks, the Education Equity Fund is helping build durable infrastructure for equity and justice in education.
We’re honored to partner with these grantees and look forward to learning alongside them as their work unfolds.
