Great Public Schools Now
Great Public Schools Now (GPSN) is a public charity based in an individual recipient, California, formed in 2015. It invests in schools, organizations, and initiatives that seek to catalyze excellence in public education, convenes leaders, and uplifts public understanding to advocate for great public schools.
Great Public Schools Now at a glance
In short: Great Public Schools Now gave $2.1M across 52 grants in 2025 (avg $41K), mostly in California. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,110,084
- -55.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 52
- -36.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $40,579
- -29.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $27,595
- Total assets
- $7,046,818
- -33.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (12 of 51, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (70% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Great Public Schools Now
- Contact
Mailing address: 1150 South Olive Street Suite 1325, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Phone: (213) 452-2800
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Great Public Schools Now funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Modern Classrooms Project ($200K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($76,840), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
386 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 193 grants of 386 (50%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
GPSN’s stated initiatives address an individual recipient public education and students across an individual recipient In 2025, 70% of grant dollars went to California recipients; Massachusetts received 15%, New York 9%, Florida 4%, and North Carolina 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 52 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Great Public Schools Now open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 51 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $25K; repeat grants $47K. How we count
Medians: $12K first-time, $32K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.1M (2025) to $13.4M (2021). In 2025 it made 52 grants totaling $2.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Modern Classrooms Project Boston, MA | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $200,000 |
| United Parents & Students Los Angeles, CA | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $150,000 |
| Powermylearning New York, NY | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $141,700 |
| The California Charter Schools Association Los Angeles, CA | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $100,000 |
| Bellwether Education Partners Inc Boston, MA | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $90,850 |
| Families in Schools Los Angeles, CA | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $75,500 |
| Green Dot Public Schools California Los Angeles, CA | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $75,000 |
| Innovate Public Schools Menlo Park, CA | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $75,000 |
| Laurel Leadership Institute Los Angeles, CA | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $75,000 |
| New Teacher Center City of Industry, CA | To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students | $75,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,046,818 | $3,716,921 | $6,437,514 | $2,110,084 | 52 | $343,621 |
| 2024 | $10,552,786 | $5,733,021 | $9,918,775 | $4,729,634 | 82 | $645,021 |
| 2023 | $14,906,739 | $8,012,433 | $8,548,625 | $4,517,050 | 62 | $584,933 |
| 2022 | $14,815,301 | $8,143,067 | $13,171,143 | $9,728,629 | 82 | $96,263 |
| 2021 | $20,013,399 | $15,067,311 | $16,493,256 | $13,394,455 | 108 | $8,697 |
| 2020 | $21,113,743 | $10,601,890 | $12,593,377 | $9,817,444 | 56 | $69,726 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
GPSN’s mission is to invest in schools, organizations, and initiatives that catalyze excellence in public education, convene leaders, and uplift public understanding to advocate for great public schools.
Its Collective Action Initiative supports organizations engaged in advocacy to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for an individual recipient public school students, with capacity-building support to amplify advocacy through earned and social media. A small portion supports online publications covering an individual recipient public education. Student Impact, formerly Education Recovery, expands access to academic, enrichment, and career-connected opportunities across an individual recipient The organization describes work including free summer programming in low-income communities, high school internships with local employers, and professional development for out-of-school-time staff. Catalytic Initiatives supports research and polling publications and innovation pilots. Civic Engagement elevates public education as a civic priority and seeks to increase nonpartisan voter turnout through direct voter engagement and digital media.
The 2025 grants included organizations with varied education-related missions. United Parents and Students describes its work as promoting public education and combating inequality through civic and community involvement and community self-advocacy. Families in Schools says it builds partnerships among families, educators, and system leaders and advances parent-led advocacy. The California Charter Schools Association describes its work as supporting and advocating for high-quality nonprofit charter schools and sharing their success. PowerMyLearning says it develops evidence-based math programs, tools, and professional learning for educators.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, GPSN reported 52 grants totaling $2,110,084. Grants ranged from $5,375 to $200,000, with a median of $27,595. The filing describes grant payments as subject to signed agreements, applicable targets and milestones, and reporting deliverables. It states that subsequent payments may be reduced based on GPSN’s assessment of progress or completion and actual expenses. In 2025, GPSN completed its afterschool pilot; it says the Student Impact umbrella will serve future student-impact program pilots.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $200,000 to The Modern Classrooms Project, $150,000 to United Parents & Students, $141,700 to PowerMyLearning, $100,000 to the California Charter Schools Association, and $90,850 to Bellwether Education Partners. The listed grant purposes were to improve educational outcomes for LAUSD students.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ana F. Ponce as executive director. Listed board members and officers are Archana Patel, board chair; Ari Engelberg; Brian Bauer, audit committee chair; Erica Lim; Lindsey Kozberg, board secretary; Magaly Lavadenz; Maria Casillas; Oscar Cruz; and Virgil Roberts.
Great Public Schools Now is led by Ana F. Ponce, Executive Director since 2025 (on filings since 2020); 9 of 18 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ana F. Ponce
Executive Director
Executive Director → CEO, 2024
CEO → Executive Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$313K (2020) → $320K (2025)
Brian Bauer
Audit Committee Chair
Board Member → Chair of Audit Committee, 2023
Chair of Audit Committee → Audit Committee Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Archana Patel
Board Chair
Board Member → Board Chair, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Theophilus Ossei-Anto
Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$117K (2024) → $123K (2025)
Dayana De La Torre
Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$106K (2025)
Dinan Guan
Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$103K (2025)
Ana Teresa Dahan
Executive Vice President
Senior Director, Policy & A → Managing Director, 2022
Managing Director → Executive Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$144K (2020) → $244K (2025)
Adrian Sandoval
Vice President
Senior Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$155K (2023) → $170K (2025)
Melissa Gonzalez
Vice President
Senior Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$148K (2023) → $160K (2025)
Monica Garcia
Senior Advisor
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$200K (2023) → $197K (2025)
Vereaux Reynolds
Vice President
Senior Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2023
27.5 hrs/week
$157K (2023) → $133K (2025)
Lindsey Kozberg
Board Secretary
Secretary → Board Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maria Casillas
Board Member
Chair → Board Member, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Virgil Roberts
Board Member
Treasurer → Board Treasurer, 2024
Board Treasurer → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Erica Lim
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Oscar Cruz
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ari Engelberg
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Magaly Lavadenz
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (11)
- Former: Magaly Lavendenz (2020–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Yolie Flores (2020–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Jasmine Ako (2022–2024) — Program Director
- Former: Ray Lopez-Chang (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Katherine Trejo (2024) — Program Officer
- Former: Barry Gibbons (2022–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Joshua Kinoshita (2020–2022) — Director of Common Enrollm
- Former: Robert Abeles (2020–2022) — Chair of Audit Committee
- Former: Marshall Tuck (2021–2022) — Head of Education Recovery
- Former: Isabel O. Acosta (2020) — Director of Operations
- Former: Tommy Chang (2020) — Advisor of Strategy & Program
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $320K, to Ana F Ponce (Executive Director). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Great Public Schools Now
How much does Great Public Schools Now give each year?
Great Public Schools Now gave $2.1M across 52 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $4.7M across 82 grants.
What is Great Public Schools Now's typical grant size?
Great Public Schools Now's median grant in 2025 was $27,595, and its average grant was $40,579, across 52 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Great Public Schools Now that year got $25K on average.
Where does Great Public Schools Now give grants?
Great Public Schools Now gives mostly in California: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (15%) and New York (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (24 grants), Boston, MA (3 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Long Beach, CA (2 grants).
Does Great Public Schools Now give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 52 grants with a stated purpose on Great Public Schools Now's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Improve Educational Outcomes for Lausd Students" (52 grants).
Who are Great Public Schools Now's largest grantees?
Great Public Schools Now's largest 2025 grantees include The Modern Classrooms Project ($200,000), United Parents & Students ($150,000) and Powermylearning ($141,700), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($76,840), which are not listed by name. Together they received 23% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Great Public Schools Now?
Great Public Schools Now reported $7.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.7M.
What does Great Public Schools Now fund?
GPSN’s mission is to invest in schools, organizations, and initiatives that catalyze excellence in public education, convene leaders, and uplift public understanding to advocate for great public schools. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Great Public Schools Now?
Great Public Schools Now has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Great Public Schools Now's EIN?
Great Public Schools Now's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-4962715. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 20, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 30, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 10, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Great Public Schools Now's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Great Public Schools Now funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/great-public-schools-now-morg_5f96756a0e544026ac0bf9e3e0da927c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_474962715_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Great Public Schools Now funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/great-public-schools-now-morg_5f96756a0e544026ac0bf9e3e0da927c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-09. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Great Public Schools Now's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Great Public Schools Now down — hundreds of funders to go?