Emerging CMO Fund

We are looking for leaders of color who want to expand their high-performing charter schools. Get in touch.

We launched the Emerging CMO Fund (ECMO) in 2013 to significantly expand the impact of charter schools led by entrepreneurs who have backgrounds similar to those of the students and families they serve. The ECMO Fund supports 20-plus high-performing charter school organizations that are in the early stages of growth and led by people of color.

What We Offer

COHORT-BASED LEARNING

Emerging leaders join a cohort of their peers who lead charter school networks in the early stages of growth. As a community, they participate in annual events including the Emerging CMO Retreat and CSGF Portfolio Retreat.

ECMO Portfolio

EARLY-STAGE SUPPORT

We help ECMO charter leaders overcome the common challenges facing school networks that are beginning to grow. The targeted support we provide includes business planning, facilities advice, leadership training, and access to the best resources from the CSGF portfolio.

Advice & How To

FUNDING

We award grants of between $250,000 and $500,000 to help promising leaders open their next school. Once awarded, these grants are disbursed over a two-to three-year period.

Who We’re Looking For

Applicants to the Emerging CMO Fund should demonstrate:

Proven Leadership

A track record of three to five years of demonstrated success in a leadership role at a charter school or early-stage charter school network.

Academic Performance

A record of operating schools that outperform the local school district on state-administered assessments and perform well compared to the average school in their state.

Commitment to Underserved Students

A commitment to serving students from underserved backgrounds and to working in communities without high-quality public schools.

Vision for Growth

A desire to grow through adding between one and three schools.

Application Process

The Emerging CMO Fund has an annual application cycle.

  1. ECMO Application Live

    December–January

    ECMO applicants apply online through the CSGF website.

  2. Application Review

    February–March

    Our team identifies semi-finalists to advance to the next round.

  3. Relationship Building

    March–May

    We get to know our semifinalists through focused visits to their schools.

  4. Investment

    June

    We select ~5 ECMO finalists who receive grants that help them open their next school.

Connect

Please fill out this brief form and we will get in touch with you if we are interested in learning more.

Get in Touch

Read more about the stories of the educational entrepreneurs we support.