Venture Philanthropy Partners has announced a $5.5-million investment over four years in the Washington, D.C.-based branch of the nonprofit Knowledge is Power Program.
The money will be used to further KIPP DC’s goal of providing a high-performing public school system to the District of Colombia’s underserved urban population. The organization aims to build and sustain a network of free, open-enrollment college preparatory schools through the District, which would provide education and resources to low-income communities and give low-income students the tools to succeed in school and in employment.
KIPP DC was started in 2001, in the basement of an Anacostia church – which later became known as KEY Academy. Since then, enrollment has grown from 80 students in one program to more than 1,500 across seven KIPP-run schools. Eventually, the organization hopes to serve approximately 3,400 students through a network of 10 schools in Anacostia, Shaw/Pentworth and Marshall Heights. The majority of KIPP’s schools will be located in Wards 7 and 8; the remaining schools will be located in Ward 2.
For the last seven years, KEY Academy has been the highest-performing middle school in Washington, according to the DC-CAS. Additionally, data from Mathematica shows that KEY students consistently outperform their peers across the country.
“KIPP DC has proven that it can help students from underserved communities achieve significant academic success," said Carol Thompson Cole, president and CEO of Venture Philanthropy Partners. "VPP’s investment in KIPP DC is not just about adding more schools, but about helping to create a school network that can continue to deliver the highest academic results for all of its students."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 16.9 percent of the District’s residents are below the poverty line, compared to 13.2 percent nationally. Additionally, 77 percent of low-income, urban fourth graders are reading at a "below basic" level, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress scores.