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Yass Prize will distribute $15 million to the top 50 education providers who meet the STOP Principles
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA —On Thursday, January 18, 2024, just steps from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s church, the Yass Prize announced its 2024 competition at the site of 2023 Yass Prize winner, Valiant Cross Academy, two months earlier than in prior years.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey made a special visit to the school to participate in the press conference praising the school and committed to creating more opportunities for students.
“We need more Valiant Cross Academies,” said the Governor, [and] that will happen when we give parents the freedom to choose the best learning path for their child. As we begin a new legislative session in less than a month, I’m equally committed to continuing to make it easier for Alabama families to send their children to the best school of their choice.”
The Governor thanked Janine Yass and the Yass Foundation for recognizing the pride of Montgomery.
“My dream is that there will no longer be waiting lists for schools like this to open,” said Janine Yass, Founder of the Yass Prize. “My dream is that there be hundreds of more schools like this that are going to give kids the sense of value, family, dignity and the education that they deserve.”
The $1 million Yass Prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless education is considered the Pulitzer of Education Innovation. Since 2021, The Yass Prize and STOP Awards Initiative has awarded over $50 million to more than 200 education organizations from every sector and educational approach.
When the application window closes on April 18th, 2024, those who have submitted complete applications will undergo a thorough, three-tier judging process.
Then, on September 5th, 2024, 50 organizations will be chosen to be Semifinalists for the Yass Prize, and each will earn a minimum of $200,000. Subsequently, on November 7th in Washington, DC, the $1 million grand prize and nine finalists who will each receive $500,000 will be revealed.
“With an increasing number of exceptional innovators ready to STOP for education, we just knew we had to exponentially increase their potential to change the landscape of education for the majority of students underserved by the nation’s traditional education systems,” Yass Prize leader and founder of the Center for Education Reform Jeanne Allen told the lawmakers, students, parents and VIPs assembled at Thursday’s press conference at Valiant Cross Academy.
The Yass Prize is sector agnostic, meaning that there is no preference for any type of education other than it be Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless. Chosen from among nearly 3,000 applications, this past year finalists represent a diverse array of educational initiatives, including Black Pastors United for Education running microschools for least-advantaged students; Melanin Village, a national homeschool network for black mothers; the National Fellowship for Black and Latino Male Educators, aimed at cultivating marginalized school leaders of color; The Cristo Rey network, providing valuable faith-based work study oriented education for students, an innovative rural public school district in St. George Maine, and several more. Search by type, year, state and more at YassPrize.org/Awardees.
The 2024 Yass Prize application can be now accessed via the Yass Prize website. Press interested in talking to leaders, past awardees or partners of the Yass Prize should write [email protected].
