Philanthropists and Foundations

As a local funder – whether you are part of a foundation, individual donor or a government agency – you can offer critical resources for helping advance work on chronic absence and attendance.  You can:

  • Provide resources for school districts, ideally partnering with a local university or other local group with good data skills, to conduct a chronic absence analysis.

  • Support efforts by schools and communities to intervene with financial assistance or volunteer work.

  • Introduce grantees to the problem of chronic absence; encourage them to support efforts to improve attendance and use reduced chronic absence as a metric for evaluating success.

  • Nurture a state network of advocates who will support policy change related to chronic absence.

  • Build public awareness about the importance of this issue among other funders and policy makers. 

This article by Hedy N. Chang and Cindy Guy in the Grantmakers for Youth, Children and Family magazine highlights some approaches foundations have taken.

Download the Article

How can funders leverage the Every Student Succeeds Act? Learn more in our brief Leveraging ESSA’s New Accountability Requirements for Chronic Absence: Investment Recommendations for Philanthropy

Download the Brief

Case Statement: Why Chronic Absence Matters for Philanthropy

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Throughout the month of September, organizations and communities throughout the country use Attendance Awareness Month to launch the school year off with a strong start and build awareness of the importance of attendance. Join the schools and communities hosting events, launching contests or spreading the word.