SPN’s Ed-Prize recognizes and accelerates innovative, forward-thinking projects that offer creative solutions to current and future K-12 challenges. The prize is awarded annually to projects that support State Policy Network’s vision of a future where all children have the chance to pursue an education in an environment where they can thrive.
We are proud to announce this year’s winners: American Experiment North Dakota, California Microschool Collective, and Outschool.org.
Winners are recognized at SPN’s Annual Meeting and will receive a grant ranging from $20,000 to $75,000 to support their work. They also meet with SPN staff quarterly to report on progress during the 12-month period of the grant.
This year’s Ed-Prize is generously supported by Stand Together Trust and the Walton Family Foundation. Learn more about the winners and their projects below.
American Experiment North Dakota
American Experiment North Dakota is a project of the Center for the American Experiment in Minnesota. When North Dakota became the 47th state to allow public charter schools, the Center of the American Experiment knew they had to support these fledgling schools. Their vision is a charter school support platform dedicated to supporting charter school founders and other charter school innovators committed to helping North Dakota embrace this new space of education freedom.
During the 2025 legislative session, American Experiment North Dakota launched a grassroots campaign to get North Dakotans more involved in their state’s legislative process by reaching out to their representatives through petitions and emails. They successfully reached 197,000 North Dakota residents – many of whom mentioned that this was the first time they were engaging with their elected representatives!
By offering support, resources, and connections, the project will help build a charter school movement in the state that will have a long-lasting impact.
California Microschool Collective
California Microschool Collective is an initiative of Ellemercito Academy, a well-known microschool in California. The Collective offers a bold, practical response to learner-centered schools in states without sound school-choice policy.
In its first year, they plan to support 100 school founders and 100 families across states like California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois that have high demand for school choice but few accessible pathways due to a lack of Education Savings Account (ESA) program or other education freedom policies. These states represent nearly 30% of the U.S. student population, but frequently get left out of the conversation due to zoning barriers and restrictive licensing requirements.
As more and more communities utilize the California Microschool Collective Framework, a national network of microschool leaders will emerge – connected not by geography or policy, but by a shared vision and practical tools.
Outschool.org
Outschool.org is building on recent momentum in Education Savings Account (ESA) legislation by supporting their successful implementation. By expanding ESA navigation tools in Arkansas and South Carolina, Outschool.org aims to create awareness around little-known public school courses and services for ESA participants.
Both states allow ESA families to enroll in public school offerings, like individual classes, therapies or extracurriculars; those options are not discoverable through any centralized platform. The organization hopes to build out their discovery tools, allowing families to browse, understand, and enroll in public school services alongside nontraditional education options. This would unlock a powerful but underutilized opportunity for public schools to participate in the education marketplace through ESA enrollment.