Wallace Foundation: the principal leadership pipeline framing

The Strategy

The Wallace Foundation's education funding centers on education leadership — specifically the principal pipeline. Their research shows that principals are the second most important in-school factor in student achievement, after teachers. If your proposal is about direct student services, Wallace is likely not your funder. If it builds the system that prepares, supports, and retains principals, you are in their lane. The pipeline framing: Wallace funds the full pipeline — leader standards, high-quality preparation, selective hiring and placement, induction and mentoring, and evaluation and support. A proposal that addresses only one stage (e.g., 'we will train aspiring principals') is less competitive than one that addresses the pipeline systemically ('we will partner with the district to align preparation, hiring, and induction for 50…