2022 Quarterfinalists

Awardees

Our exceptional awardees hail from 33 states and the District of Columbia as well as groups serving the entire nation. They include schools with one location and some with multiple, and represent 8 different kinds of education providers. Together they serve tens of thousands of students in transformational and outstanding ways.

A majority of the 2022 Yass Prize Quarterfinalists serve important and often overlooked populations and embrace the importance of education that is both sustainable and permissionless. They include some standout public and private educators specifically focused on competency-based education and personalized learning as well as leaders in the ed tech space who provide remarkable tools that can be integrated into any of the other full service models being celebrated for their STOP-enabled education.

Trends this year include apprenticeships, career prep for students, hybrid and blended learning models launched, tested and proven during COVID, numerous parent-led efforts restoring hope and optimism to BIPOC families and an explosion of groups serving neurodivergent learners. While they are diverse in nature and location, these educational entrepreneurs are high impact innovators inspiring students, families and the communities around them. They will make a catalyzing Yass Prize community and we welcome them.

Join us in celebrating their accomplishments and wishing them the best of luck in the continuing Yass Prize competition!

If you're committed to wanting to be one of the change makers of the future in education, I believe that this is a place for you.

Not only because of the capital, but because of the knowledge that comes by communing with the diverse group of people as opposed to everybody that thinks the exact same way that you might think.

Taylor Shead

Founder and CEO,

STEMuli Studios

Having the status of Yass Prize Semifinalist has opened doors that we’ve been knocking on for years,

including public recognition from our Governor and partnership conversations with other education innovators from around the country.

Matthew Chaussee

Founder & CEO,

CareerViewXR & BeMoreColorful

It might be the first time you’re speaking where everyone is actually listening and cares about what you’re doing.

I don’t think I’ve been in a room as supportive as the Yass Prize Semifinalist room in Miami.

Brian Curcio

Founder and CEO,

Rapunzl, 2022 Yass Prize Finalist

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

One of the missions of the Yass Prize and the Yass Prize movement is really surfacing best practices in innovation—

in innovators who are doing this type of transformational work, so that others can learn from it and replicate it, so that you can actually grow yourselves.

Jeff Imrich

Co-Founder,

Rock by Rock

There is absolutely zero downside to being a part of this network by submitting your application and what you will encounter is unlike any other grant.

It's actually mind blowing. I really see myself as an education entrepreneur, but this expanded me.

Diana Diaz-Harrison

Founder,

Arizona Autism Charter Schools

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

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

going against the common core and 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 Skaggs

Founder,

SOAR Academy

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

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 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

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

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