Philanthropic Partnership
“With all the challenges we face — global instability, economic competition, threats to democracy — our greatest national security risk may well be the disastrous state of our K–12 education system.”
— Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State
A Statewide Effort Backed by Science — and Supported by Philanthropy
Transforming Washington’s public-school model is an urgent scientific, moral, and civic priority—one that requires philanthropic partnership to move responsibly inside public systems. Across the political spectrum, leading authorities now converge on the same conclusion: the youth mental-health emergency and the outdated K–12 operating model pose a profound risk to the nation’s long-term well-being, economic competitiveness, and democratic stability.​
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To meet this moment, the Washington Youth Mental Health & Public School Promise Initiative is partnering with mission-driven philanthropies committed to advancing student well-being, equity, and science-aligned system redesign—inside public education.
Why Philanthropy Is Engaging
Across Washington and the nation, philanthropic leaders are stepping forward because the evidence is clear: the current youth mental-health crisis and persistent educational underperformance are structural and foreseeable outcomes of a school model designed long before modern developmental science existed.
Modern developmental science now shows that when school environments are deliberately designed for safety, belonging, strong relationships, and meaningful challenge, young people learn more, experience less distress, and build the skills needed to thrive into adulthood. Redesigning Washington’s public schools around this science is no longer speculative. It is an overdue shift toward a standard of care commensurate with what is at stake.
What Philanthropic Partnership Makes Possible
​Strategic philanthropic investment plays a distinct and catalytic role by enabling work that public systems cannot initiate or sustain alone, including:
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Launching district-level demonstration sites that show how science-aligned redesign can begin within existing buildings, staffing, and budgets.
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Supporting superintendent, school board, and community learning networks focused on redesigning school environments in line with modern developmental science.
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Building the data, research, and storytelling capacity needed to make structural design—and its impact on youth mental health and learning—visible to the public.
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Underwriting legal, policy, and communications efforts that clarify system responsibility, elevate the standard of care, and protect space for innovation inside public education.
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These investments help public leaders move from isolated pilots to coherent, science-aligned models that can be scaled across Washington and, ultimately, inform work in other states.
An Invitation to Partner
If you represent a foundation or philanthropic initiative interested in supporting transformational, science-aligned solutions with measurable statewide impact, we welcome a conversation.
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​Together, we can help Washington’s public schools become places where modern developmental science is not an optional enhancement, but the basic standard of care for more than one million children—and a model for systems across the country.