VELA: Micro Grants in the US

Deadline: 21-Apr-23

VELA is now accepting applications for its 2023 Micro grant program.

Micro grants provide fast funding for everyday entrepreneurs – students, parents, educators, and community leaders – who are building unconventional learning ecosystems within their communities. Eligible applicants can apply for $2,500 or $10,000. Approved grant recipients are welcomed into VELA’s fast-growing community of thousands of out-of-system innovators nationwide.

VELA is catalyzing a diverse ecosystem of out-of-system providers, so that families can access the learning environments that work best for them. All programs that VELA supports exist to serve learners and families participating in unconventional learning outside of traditional public, private, and charter schooling.

Through three tiers of investments, they support everyday entrepreneurs implementing unconventional, out-of-system learning within their communities, provide additional resources to grow the programs with the most promise, and ultimately, transform the future of education.

Funding Information

• Microgrants: $2,500 and $10,000

What do they support?

• Given overwhelming demand, in 2023 VELA Micro grants will prioritize the following out-of-system models and supports:
  • Unconventional Learning Environments
    • Are you an entrepreneur who has opened a primary learning environment, responsive to learners’ and families’ needs, delivered in place of the traditional educational system? Are you an entrepreneur that is taking matters into your own hands to pave the way for new models of K-12 education to launch in your community? Are you challenging the status quo of what ‘schooling’ is or can be?
    • Entrepreneurs operating unconventional learning environments for out-of-system learners not enrolled in public, charter, or traditional private schools (micro school, learning pod, homeschool co-op, unschool, or any other setting that serves as the primary learning environment) are encouraged to apply. Please note: programs that offer supplemental activities for learners enrolled in traditional schooling, like after-school enrichment and mentorship programs, do not qualify for VELA Micro grants.
  • Ecosystem Builders
    • Are you an entrepreneur who developed a product or service specifically supporting unconventional, out-of-system learning? Have you developed a technology-enabled solution to facilitate out-of-system learning?  Do you offer a program that contributes to an out-of-system learner’s primary K-12 learning experience?
    • Entrepreneurs who offer content, infrastructure supports, resource platforms, and other programming utilized in unconventional, out-of-system learning environments are encouraged to apply.
  • Community Catalysts
    • Are you an entrepreneur that provides support, resources, and guidance to families participating in out-of-system learning? Are you an entrepreneur that increases access to homeschooling, unschooling, or other out-of-system learning for more learners and families?
    • Entrepreneurs that provide resources, support, and guidance to families participating in out-of-system learning, or contribute to knowledge sharing and collaboration among entrepreneurs in the out-of-system space are encouraged to apply.
    • Their imaginations are limited! They cannot predict the amazing breadth of ideas that everyday entrepreneurs create in their communities. If you think you have launched something fundamentally aligned with what is described, please fill out an application and tell us more about why your program is a great fit.

What makes a program a good fit for funding?

• VELA prioritizes programs outside the bounds of schooling that:
  • Foster “permissionless innovation” in education: VELA supports passionate entrepreneurs who are launching and expanding out-of-system learning opportunities that are responsive to the learners and families they serve, without requiring the blessing of public officials, funders, or those in power.
  • Empower families to own and drive their learning experiences: VELA invests in programs that enable learners and families to customize a learning experience that is just right for them. This includes primary learning environments that give families ownership of their experience; modular out-of-system learning experiences that families can assemble and customize; and resources for families new to out-of-system learning.
  • Encourage openness and creativity with respect to how learning happens. VELA invests in models that stretch the canvas on the where, how, when of school, unlocking as much innovation and creativity as possible.
  • Increase access to education entrepreneurship: VELA prioritizes ‘everyday entrepreneurs’ – parents and grandparents and community members and students and educators who share an entrepreneurial spirit, and a desire to meet the needs of the learners and families they serve.

What does VELA support?

• VELA’s grant programs provide funding to everyday entrepreneurs whose work falls into one or more of the following categories:
  • Unconventional Learning Environments: Entrepreneurs operating unconventional learning environments for out-of-system learners not enrolled in public, charter, or traditional private schools (micro school, learning pod, homeschool co-op, unschool, or any other setting that serves as the primary learning environment).
  • Ecosystem Builders: Entrepreneurs who offer content, infrastructure supports, resource platforms, and other programming utilized in unconventional, out-of-system learning environments.
  • Community Catalysts: Entrepreneurs that provide resources, support, and guidance to families participating in out-of-system learning, or contribute to knowledge sharing and collaboration among entrepreneurs in the out-of-system space.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to qualify for VELA funding, applicants must:
  • Use funding for a qualifying charitable purpose.
  • Serve K-12 learners or programs outside of traditional public, private, or charter schools.
  • Use funding within the United States or its territories.
  • Be operational now or in the immediate term. VELA does not award planning grants.
  • Have proof of concept. Applicants must be publicly verifiable through website, social media, or other publicly-available information.

For more information, visit VELA.