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.
Awardees
Awardees
Meet the 2025 Yass Prize Contenders!
Live from Forbes on Fifth in New York City, the Yass Prize contenders were revealed in a special livestream event. After two rounds of rigorous evaluation by more than 500 judges, these contenders will now have the opportunity to pitch at the Miami Accelerator, making the case for why they should receive the $1 million Yass Prize to expand their impact and ensure that more students gain access to the education they deserve.
School needs to look different, and this new cohort is the single best example of the diversity of excellence and transformational innovation our country has to offer. These schools and providers are a testament to the positive direction that Pre-K to 12 education is headed in as we embark on a new school year. Congratulations, all!
The Yass Prize has significantly impacted the trajectory of our organization.
Brenaea Fairchild
Executive Director,
Melanin Village
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
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
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
The Yass Prize has brought together such diverse leaders
from all different demographics, all different states, all different service provider types that you can learn from.
Taylor Shead
Founder and CEO,
STEMuli Studios
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
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
The Yass Prize process has created an awareness of the education freedom movement within churches and communities.
It's given us an opportunity to start critical discussions with our congregations, parents, community leaders and members, about the laws that govern education in Pennsylvania.
Pastor Joshua Robertson
Founder & Executive Director,
Black Pastors United for Education
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
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
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
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
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