2015 A CANnual Report

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letter from the leadership
flight manifest

Daring to dream bigger

2015 BY THE NUMBERS

Mission Stats

Our guiding stars

Our local advisory boards of respected, bipartisan community leaders help guide our work. Meet our state and national board members; our guiding stars in the advocacy journey.

NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Astronaut profiles

These team members work tirelessly for students, displaying optimism, relentlessness, candor, humility and a commitment to “plus” our work. Meet the 50CAN network astronauts!

Our State-Based Teams

Tap on the state team photos to see a few highlights from their year.

Our policy universe

At 50CAN, we work to secure policy changes that will bring a high-quality education to all kids, regardless of their address. Five principles shape the universe of our work.

Start earlier

Expand choices

Aim higher

Cultivate talent

Reach everyone

Financials & gifts

Rocket fuel

50CAN achieved encouraging financial results in fiscal year 2015. As a result, we were able to financially support our state-based advocacy campaigns, internal training programs and fellowship initiative as well as its ongoing operations. We are grateful to all of our generous supporters for making this work possible.

2015 Donors

Liabilities & assets, 2015

Assets
Liabilities
Net Assets (Deficiency)

Statement of Activities

December 31, 2015

Revenue
Expenses
Change in Net Assets
Net Assets
Revenue
Expenses
Change in Net Assets
Net Assets
Revenue
Expenses
Change in Net Assets
Net Assets

The next frontier

The Education Advocacy Fellowship was created to find and support the next generation of education advocates in communities across the country. In 2015, applications to the program increased tenfold to nearly 800 aspiring local leaders.

We received applications from 43 states and the District of Columbia. More than two-thirds of our applicants identified as women, and nearly two-thirds of our applicants identified as people of color.

After seven months of rigorous interviewing, we selected five outstanding advocates to represent Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii and Virginia. Meet the next frontier in advocacy, 50CAN’s 2015 fellows.

Our fleet

The adage says that if you want to go far, go together. We take that to heart in shaping every campaign plan and community event at 50CAN. We’re proud to partner with these local leaders, organizations and coalitions to go as far as we can for students.

spacecamp

Courses

Guidebook

Training Manual

Download the manual

PDF Kindle iBook

End transmission

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state spotlight

2015 A CANnual Report

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End transmission

Our first five years were filled with transformational educational opportunities for kids. Thank you for supporting us on the next phase of the journey. Onward!

3, 2, 1, Blastoff!

At 50CAN, we strive to see the future through the eyes of the children we serve. Their optimism fuels our drive to ensure every child receives a high-quality education that will help them turn their dreams into reality. Explore our journey in 2015 as we worked to move us all closer to a better tomorrow.

Let’s begin your mission!
take a quick tour of your dashboard:

Main controls

These buttons, highlighted in yellow, will help you find your way around our education reform universe. Hover/tap the buttons to see where they will take you:

Research database

These green buttons will take you on a tour of our celestial bodies’ database, where you can explore our research and findings #FromTheField:

Mission debrief

When you’re all done with your mission, click on the gold dial for your final debrief:

Relaunch this manual

If you ever need to pull up this manual again, simply click/tap here:

Daring to dream bigger

Dear friends,

Advocacy at its core is an optimistic enterprise. It’s grounded in the belief that the future can be better than the past and that when we work together we can lead the way to this brighter world.

It’s also not without risk. Exploring the world of advocacy—like exploring what lies beyond us in space—is full of challenges that cannot be predicted at the outset of a journey. We choose to dream big because we are inspired by the optimism of the children we serve. We aim to push forward into the frontiers of education advocacy and blaze a trail for the next generation of explorers to come.

We’re proud of what we accomplished together in 2015, and we’re excited to share our progress with you. We can’t do this work without you and we are deeply grateful for your support as we find, connect and support local leaders to advocate for a high-quality education for all kids, regardless of their address.

Our work is just beginning. To celebrate five years of progress, let’s look toward the future together.

With gratitude,

Sandra L. Vargas
Board chair
Marc Porter Magee
CEO & Founder

Astronaut profiles

These team members work tirelessly for students, displaying optimism, relentlessness, candor, humility and a commitment to “plus” our work. Meet the 50CAN network's astronauts! Explore our teams by clicking on an area on the ship:

Our guiding stars

Our local advisory boards of respected, bipartisan community leaders help guide our work. Meet our state and national board members; our guiding stars in the advocacy journey.

Our Policy Universe

At 50CAN, we work to secure policy changes that will bring a high-quality education to all kids, regardless of their address. These five principles shape the universe of our work.

The Next Frontier

The Education Advocacy Fellowship was created to find and support the next generation of education advocates in communities across the country. In 2015, applications to the program increased tenfold to nearly 800 aspiring local leaders for five positions.

We received applications from 43 states and the District of Columbia. More than two-thirds of our applicants identified as women, and nearly two-thirds of our applicants identified as people of color.

After seven months of rigorous interviewing, we selected five outstanding advocates to represent Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii and Virginia. Meet the next frontier in advocacy, 50CAN’s 2015 fellows:

Our fleet

The adage says that if you want to go far, go together. We take that to heart in shaping every campaign plan and community event at 50CAN. We’re proud to partner with these local leaders, organizations and coalitions to go as far as we can for students.

Mission Stats

83,067 miles traveled to meet with local advocates
404 1website crash
12 big policy victories secured for students across the network
astronauts-in-training 796 applications to the 50CAN fellowship for 5 positions
fuel intake status report $48,000,000 secured in early learning scholarships
starbase visitor log number of community members who attended 50CAN courses and workshops 201
5-year CANniversary of the organization’s founding
training manual available in ship database 73 pages written in the 50CAN Guide to Building Advocacy Campaigns

Training Manual

In 2015, we set about organizing everything we learned over ten years of building education advocacy campaigns into a shareable tool for everyone. Our goal was to inspire more people to get involved in education advocacy and make it a little easier to navigate this challenging terrain successfully.

This led us to publish The 50CAN Guide to Building Advocacy Campaigns, a training manual to build advocacy campaign plans. The guidebook provides real life case studies on how plans were put into action in our states and in-depth examinations of popular advocacy tactics.

What you said about The 50CAN Guide to Building Advocacy Campaigns:

“I’m so encouraged by the efforts of 50CAN to not only support local leaders in running advocacy campaigns, but to take the extra step of organizing everything they are learning and make it available to anyone for free. If you are looking to become a better education advocate for the kids in your community, this guidebook is one of the places to start.” – Dr. Howard Fuller, Institute for the Transformation of Learning

“Logic would have us believe that teaching our children the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school and life is enough to win hearts and minds. In some cases, logic holds, but in other circles, our collective movement needs to do more. 50CAN’s advocacy guidebook helps with some of those additional tools that help complete the necessary work we all must do to truly set all of our children up for great success in school and life.” – Mike Feinberg, KIPP

“The 50CAN guide is the expression of years of engagement that can be trusted and relied on. It is an energizing force for any advocacy campaign!” – Michael Phillips, MarylandCAN advisory board

“Advocacy is hard work, but it’s a little easier when you’re not reinventing the wheel. Thankfully, 50CAN invented it for us. Now, let’s roll.” – Peter Cunningham, Education Post

Space camp

Becoming an education advocate can sometimes feel as unlikely as getting the chance to become an astronaut. Our trainings and courses bring this far-off world down to earth. We aim to open up education advocacy to citizens across the country to share the fundamentals of education policy and the secrets of effective advocacy campaigns. Our training camp for advocates grew for the third consecutive year in 2015.

We filled our Ed Policy 101 class to capacity, run in partnership with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, and traveled across the country to share the Education Advocacy Essentials workshop with over 200 conference participants.

Rocket fuel

50CAN achieved encouraging financial results in fiscal year 2015. As a result, we were able to financially support our state-based advocacy campaigns, internal training programs and fellowship initiative as well as ongoing operations. We are grateful to all of our generous supporters for making this work possible.

2015 DONORS

$100,000+

  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies
  • Bush Foundation
  • Education Transformation Initiative's Strategic Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation
  • Jonathan Sackler
  • The Brook J. Lenfest Foundation
  • The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
  • The Heinz Endowments
  • The Joyce Foundation
  • The McKnight Foundation
  • The Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi Foundation
  • Walton Family Foundation

$50,000-$99,999

  • Anonymous
  • Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock
  • The Baltimore Community Foundation
  • Foundation for Maryland’s Future
  • John and Denise Graves Foundation
  • Newark Charter School Fund
  • Richard King Mellon Foundation
  • The Minneapolis Foundation
  • The Prudential Foundation
  • WEM Foundation

$5,000- $49,999

  • 3M Foundation
  • Aber D. Unger Foundation, Inc.
  • Agustin A. Ramirez, Jr. Family Foundation
  • Ann Borowiec
  • Anonymous (2)
  • Benson and Mary Whitney
  • Brown Advisory
  • Brown Capital Management
  • Coalition of Baltimore Public Charter Schools
  • Comcast - Twin Cities Region
  • Dick and Joyce H. McFarland Family Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation
  • Ecolab
  • Eddie Brown
  • Educational Testing Service
  • F.M. Kirby Foundation
  • France-Merrick Foundation
  • General Mills Foundation
  • Haldeman Family Foundation
  • Harold K.L. Castle Foundation
  • Healey Education Foundation
  • Helmut Weymar
  • John Brandenborg
  • Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds
  • Josh and Judy Weston Family Foundation
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co.
  • Judith and M. Richard Wyman Philanthropic Fund
  • Koaniani Fund of the Hawai'i Community Foundation
  • KRV Foundation Fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation
  • Lerner Family Foundation
  • Manger Family Foundation
  • Marsha Reeves
  • McAdams Charitable Foundation
  • Peter J. Sidebottom
  • Phillip R. and Brenda Brown Rever
  • Sam Cole & Marika Alzadon
  • Smikis Foundation
  • Speedwell Foundation
  • Sylvan/Laureate Foundation
  • The Bodman Foundation
  • The Brigitte and Donald Manekin Family Philanthropic Fund
  • The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
  • The Eugene U. and Mary F. Frey Family Fund
  • The Hassenfeld Foundation
  • The Healey Family Foundation (Thomas Healey)
  • The Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation
  • The Maeve Foundation (Mary Farrell)
  • The MCJ Amelior Foundation
  • The Piper Family Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation
  • The Saint Paul Foundation
  • The Travelers Foundation
  • The Walter V. and Judith L. Shipley Family Foundation
  • TriMix Foundation
  • Turrell Fund
  • Virginia Hubbard
  • William E. Simon Foundation
  • William Penn Foundation (via Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children)

$1,000-$4,999

  • Andy and Jennifer Grossman
  • Anonymous
  • Bonnie and Lee McGrath
  • David A. and Barbara L. Henderson
  • Ed and Val Spencer
  • Education Success Network
  • Fr. Michael O'Connell
  • Gary Haugen
  • Jean Wyman, ACME Philanthropic Fund of the Associated Jewish Charities
  • Jay and Page Cowles
  • Kara and David Milner
  • Kate and David Mortenson
  • Kitty Crosby
  • Lifebridge Health
  • Michael F. and Mary Kate McFadden
  • Olson Foundation Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation
  • Pastor Michael Phillips
  • Patricia and Thomas Canfield
  • The Albright Foundation
  • The Remele Family Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation
  • Tim Penny
  • Tina and Kurt Kloehn
  • Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz

LIABILITIES AND ASSETS

2015
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents $2,045,431
Contributions receivable, net 691,849
Prepaid expenses and other assets 22,295
Deposits 82,269
Property and equipment, net 44,237
Total Assets 2,886,081
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $130,701
Total Liabilities 130,701
Net Assets (Deficiency)
Unrestricted 33,373
Temporarily restricted 2,722,008
Total Net Assets 2,755,381

Statement of Activities
December 31, 2015

Unrestricted Temporarily
Restricted		 Total
REVENUE
Contributions $4,027,391 $2,662,007 $6,689,398
In-Kind contributions —   —
Interest income 419   419
Service fee and other income 8,135   8,135
Net assets released from restriction 3,443,890 (3,443,890) —
Total Revenue 7,479,835 (781,883) 6,697,952
EXPENSES 7,189,567 — 7,189,567
Change in Net Assets 290,268 (781,883) (491,615)
NET ASSETS
Beginning of period (256,895) 3,503,891 3,246,996
End of period 33,373 2,722,008 2,755,381

2015 balance sheet

Total Assets
2,886,081
Total Liabilities
–130,701
Total net assets
2,755,381

CarolinaCAN JerseyCAN NYCAN MarylandCAN MinnCAN PennCAN RI-CAN

Research spotlight

Reimaging Education for a Reimagining Rhode Island

In 2015, RI-CAN asked, “What should an education system look like for children born today who will enter preschool in three years, kindergarten in five and graduate from high school with the class of 2034?” The answer involves fundamentally reimagining the learning experience in the Ocean State. Read more with RI-CAN.

#FromtheField

Reading Week

RI-CAN knows that teachers and families are working every day to create positive, lasting experiences for kids, which is why the team visits classrooms across the state to learn from educators and celebrate student success. A 2015 highlight was visiting Mary Fogarty Elementary and participating in Providence Reading Week – check out the photos from story time!

Research spotlight

Allegheny County Opportunity Schools

PennCAN’s Opportunity Schools report celebrates schools that are consistently breaking the link between poverty and academic achievement and offers an analysis of what they have in common. Read more!

#FromtheField

Charter Fair

PennCAN hosted the Pittsburgh Charter School Information and Application Fair in 2015 to give families the chance to speak to charter leaders, parents and teachers to learn more about educational options in Pittsburgh. Check out photos from the event!

Research spotlight

Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Achievement in Minnesota

AAPI learners make up a growing share of Minnesota’s student population. Yet, too often they fall behind their classmates, as well as their AAPI peers across the country: Nationally, Minnesota ranks 46th for AAPI high school graduation and is home to one of the largest white-AAPI proficiency gaps for fourth grade reading. But much is being done to change these odds. In MinnCAN’s report, three schools that are using innovative strategies to help their AAPI learners thrive share their methods. Read on!

#FromtheField

Day at the Capitol

MinnCAN organized its first “Day at the Capitol” in 2015 for advocates, parents, teachers and supporters of great schools for all. Check out the photos from their day meeting with legislators.

Research spotlight

The State of North Carolina Public Education, 2015

CarolinaCAN’s State of Public Education data tool was built to celebrate students’ progress and engage in the conversation about the work left to do for North Carolina’s learners.

#FromtheField

Meet Marcus!

In 2015, we welcomed Marcus Brandon to the 50CAN network as the new executive director of CarolinaCAN. Get to know Marcus and see what plans he has for the Tar Heel state!

Research spotlight

A Winning Formula: Growing the seeds of excellent teaching in New York State

NYCAN team released the ‘Winning Formula’ policy paper in 2015 in support of Governor Cuomo’s teacher quality agenda. Read on for how the Empire State structures it’s teacher recruitment and training, plans to improve outcomes for kids, and the research that backs it up.

#FromtheField

Listening tour

NYCAN hit the road in 2015, traveling across the country to support partner organizations and train aspiring advocates on issues in education policy. Check out NYCAN’s new Instagram account for photos of the NYCAN team finding, connecting and supporting great local leaders.

Research spotlight

Baltimore Opportunity Schools, Volume 2

Even before MarylandCAN finished the Baltimore Opportunity Schools report in 2014, the team knew they needed to do a follow-up report on high schools. The data showed that no non-entrance criteria public high schools in Baltimore were leading children from low-income households to performance levels comparable to state averages on the Maryland High School Assessments. Read more in the 2015 high school report.

#FROMTHEFIELD

Sharing NAEP Scores

MarylandCAN shared the results of the Old Line state’s NAEP scores with their base of supporters and partners in a series of innovative, shareable GIFs. Find out how the state stacked up with these graphics.

Research spotlight

Pre-K Expansion in New Jersey

The voices for preschool expansion are louder than ever, which is why JerseyCAN created this pre-K infographic. It summarizes some of the major takeaways from the preschool expansion discussion happening now in the Garden State.

#FromtheField

Lobby day at the New Jersey statehouse

JerseyCAN and partners collaborated on a lobby day at the New Jersey statehouse for charter parents to share their stories about schools of choice with legislators. Check out the photos from the inspiring day!