Announcing the 2026 Yass Prize Contenders

Join us for a special livestream live from Forbes on Fifth in NYC, as we announce the newest cohort of contenders who will vie for the $1 million Yass Prize
Watch at 11:00am EST on August 12th

BREAKING NEWS

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

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The Most Powerful Network in Education Innovation

The Application deadline for the 2026 $1 million Yass Prize has now closed.

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Janine Yass Featured in the The Philadelphia Inquirer

Highlighting her vision, philanthropy, and commitment to expanding educational opportunity
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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

Congratulations to the 2025 Yass Prize Finalists and Semifinalists

Live in Washington, DC, four finalists and 18 semifinalists were announced, recognizing their outstanding achievements.
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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.”
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Learn about the Impact of the Yass Prize

Discover the story of the Yass Prize, an initiative dedicated to celebrating, rewarding, and expanding innovative education providers. Explore our history and the last impact of these groundbreaking efforts. 

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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

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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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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The foundation of any society is a good education.

Jeff 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

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

Portia Green
Principal,
Prichard Prep, 2022 Yass Prize Semifinalist

Everyone knows that without great education, our nation suffers.

Great education is a vital link for students to become successful citizens.

Janine Yass
Founder,
The Yass Prize

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

Our newest endeavor – that was part of our Yass Prize initiative – we're bringing career and technical education into the school

I'm in the process of going through the construction of a 20,000 square foot $11.5 million dollar building dedicated to career and technical education for the students in the Philadelphia region.

Brian Patrick King
President,
Father Judge High School, 2022 Yass Prize Semifinalist

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

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

Sal Khan
Founder,
Khan Academy

Being a part of the [Yass] family confirmed that what I'm doing is right,

focusing on what we know is important for kids really works, and having a network of people now that also agree was super huge.

Kenisha Scaggs
Founder,
SOAR Academy

The Yass Prize has significantly impacted the trajectory of our organization.

When we originally applied, we simply provided supplemental support services to homeschooling families. Now, we are growing into an education network that provides community, coaching, and curriculum nationwide.

Brenaea Fairchild
Executive Director,
Melanin Village

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

Kevin Stitt
Governor,
Oklahoma

I'm a Yass Prize finalist from last year.

And through that, we were able to open up our second campus in the city of Wichita.

Wade Moore
Founder & Dean,
Urban Preparatory Academy

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2026 Yass Prize Contender
Livestream Announcement

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Watch live on YassPrize.org as we announce the newest contenders for the $1 million Yass Prize.