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Congratulations to the 2026 Yass Prize Contenders

Rewatch the special livestream taped at Forbes on Fifth in NYC, where we announced the newest cohort of contenders who will vie for the $1 million Yass Prize
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FREE SCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL IN PHILLY

This Scholarship will provide $8,000 annually for 500 students displaced by the Philadelphia school closures.

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On the Road: The 2026 Yass Prize Roadshow for Opportunity

This year’s Roadshow for Opportunity Series was designed not simply as a celebration of finalists and winners, but as an investment in relationships, in shared learning, and in capitalizing on the strengths within the Yass Prize community.
EXPLORE RECAPS
READ IMPACT REPORT

Follow the Impact

From a bold idea to a nationwide movement, the Yass Prize is empowering hundreds and investing millions to reimagine education from the ground up.
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Janine and Jeff Yass Share Their Why

Message to awardees: “You are the change-makers.”
Watch Now

On the Road: The 2026 Yass Prize Roadshow for Opportunity

This year’s Roadshow for Opportunity Series was designed not simply as a celebration of finalists and winners, but as an investment in relationships, in shared learning, and in capitalizing on the strengths within the Yass Prize community.

EXPLORE RECAPS
READ IMPACT REPORT

Monthly News Brief about our Nation’s Best Education Leaders

Subscribe to “Innovation in Action”, featuring Yass Prize awardees who are making a difference.

Read the Latest Volume

Yass Prize Alumni Featured on Forbes.com

Timely, thought-provoking, relevant content from Yass Prize alumni contributors on Forbes.com: Explore how innovation, opportunity, and freedom are reshaping education. Learn more about the real-world impact of the STOP principles in action.

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Latest News

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Press Releases
  • August 12, 2026

26 Education Innovators Named Contenders for $1 Million Yass Prize

Press Releases
  • August 12, 2026

26 Education Innovators Named Contenders for $1 Million Yass Prize

Video
  • July 30, 2026

Senator Bill Cassidy highlights Pepin Academy and Trinity School at U.S. Senate HELP Committee meeting

Video
  • July 30, 2026

Senator Bill Cassidy highlights Pepin Academy and Trinity School at U.S. Senate HELP Committee meeting

Press Releases
  • June 2, 2026

The Race Is On: $1 Million Yass Prize Closes Applications with Unprecedented Competition

Press Releases
  • June 2, 2026

The Race Is On: $1 Million Yass Prize Closes Applications with Unprecedented Competition

View All News & Media

The Yass Foundation for Education advances the four core STOP principles: Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless education. Each year, the Foundation will reward dozens of organizations, building a growing network of innovative providers that
demonstrate these qualities in their commitment to new ideas, technologies, and approaches to learning that bring education into
the 21st century. The Foundation is powered by the Center for Education Reform (CER) in partnership with Forbes.

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Because of the Yass Prize, we were able to add an additional pre-K classroom.

Portia Green
Principal,
Prichard Prep, 2022 Yass Prize Semifinalist

When we follow the money, it’s ludicrous how this country is getting away with funding education.

The funding is not following children. We're trying to make better options for kids, for poor kids, middle class kids. Wealthy people have this choice, they opt out of their systems easily, why shouldn't all children have that choice?

Janine Yass
Founder,
The Yass Prize

The Yass Prize is centered around ensuring that this [program] provides you a stepping stone...

We don’t want you to rinse, wash, repeat. We want you to build and sustain.

Jeanne Allen
Founder & CEO, Center for Education Reform ,
Director, Yass Foundation for Education

Yass brought us together, creating opportunities to create an educational universe within which we can look at education differently…

we have to find academic experiences that represent neuro-divergent learners, kids who want to learn about gaming, who want to do stuff online, who dropped out of school.

Dr. Steve Perry
Head of Schools,
Capital Preparatory Schools

Being a part of this experience has amplified the access we can give to our students in a way that nothing has, and the access is just critical.

The Yass Prize is almost like Burning Man for education reform.

Cris Gulacy-Worrel
Vice President,
Oakmont Education, 2022 Yass Prize Finalist

In a state where alternative education is often overlooked, the Yass community helps us shine.

The Yass Prize has empowered our youth, families and community by bringing great visibility to our efforts.

Dr. LeDonna Griffin
Founder & Executive Director,
Leaders to Legends

Believe in your mission… Ground yourself… Never give up…

Sal Khan
Founder,
Khan Academy

We used the Yass Prize to launch a program called Skypod catalyst, which is essentially an accelerator to help other people start microschools.

We believe very much that microschools should be bottoms up, they come from the community. They're founded by educators who know their community really well. And they want to design a learning environment for the kids in that community.

Amar Kumar
Founder and CEO,
KaiPod Learning, 2022 Yass Prize Seminfinalist

Education is one of the most fundamental pillars for democratizing opportunities for success that we have in our society.

It’s thanks to organizations like the Yass Prize that our children are going to have a better tomorrow.

Francis X. Suarez
Mayor,
City of Miami

The Yass Award is about celebrating and rewarding those who make students the priority.”

Kevin Stitt
Governor,
Oklahoma

The Yass Prize is truly changing the landscape of education options across the nation,

and I couldn't be more grateful for what it's done for us, and helping us serve more students and families.

Diana Diaz-Harrison
Founder,
Arizona Autism Charter Schools

We have a tremendously transformative model that could stand for a little disruption.

The Yass experience has given us “permission” to do exactly that.

Kelby Woodard
President & CEO,
Cristo Rey Network

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