Overdeck Family Foundation was founded in 2011 by John and Laura Overdeck with the goal of providing all children the opportunity to unlock their potential. We focus exclusively on enhancing education, funding efforts both inside and outside of school in the areas of early childhood, informal STEM education, and K-9 programs that include supporting educators and student-centered learning environments.

Our grantmaking and strategic support focus on unlocking innovation, evidence, and growth opportunities for organizations and researchers that are committed to accelerating key academic and socioemotional outcomes for all children. We fund both direct impact organizations and ecosystem efforts that clear the path to scale for our grantees and the work that they do.

Overdeck Family Foundation seeks to provide all children the opportunity to unlock their potential. In aggregate, our work should contribute to more equitable outcomes and a more equitable society, namely one where success and failure are not driven by sociodemographic factors.

Funding Criteria:

Please note that Overdeck Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals.

Mission Alignment & Unmet Need
The organization’s work and services align to Overdeck Family Foundation’s mission and a specific portfolio. Based on context, timing, and landscape, the organization or program addresses an area of market opportunity, failure, or inefficiency.

Testable Theory of Impact
The organization is willing to gather and analyze data to demonstrate its impact and make evidence-informed and cost-effective decisions to improve. When funding early stage initiatives, we place an emphasis on innovation and validating evidence to demonstrate impact, especially as an organization grows. For growth or late stage organizations, we emphasize a program’s ability to reach more program participants in a cost-effective way that does not sacrifice impact.

Potential to Scale
The organization aims to sustainably scale programs, practices, or models that are evidence-based, and is willing to build a strong evidence base before engaging in a growth plan. Early stage organizations should show evidence of their potential to have significant reach and increasing impact, while growth or late stage organizations should be ready for scale when they apply for funding.

Leadership Strength
The organization is led by a strong leadership team with a track record of success across programmatic and operational areas. We believe the leadership of an organization can have a profound impact on success and encourage organizations to have a diverse leadership team and Board that represents their target populations.

Financial Health & Sustainability
The organization displays a history of a stable or healthy financial position, skilled fiscal management, a diverse funder base, and a deliberate path to long-term sustainability. Some financial expertise is present at a leadership or Board level.

Influence Potential
The organization or research team has a desire to influence the field and contribute insights by developing new evidence, engaging in thought leadership, and/or publishing research.