The Foundation has recently developed an exciting internship opportunity in philanthropy. Working in partnership with other Chicago-based funders, the Foundation developed its internship to provide a unique experience for an undergraduate student interested in pursuing work in the nonprofit space after college. For one current undergraduate student, this ten-week internship will provide a unique look into the nonprofit sector and opportunities to learn more about the systems and policies within the education, early childhood development, and youth development fields. 

Higher education programs that prepare early childhood educators are at a critical inflection point as new policy and accountability pressures threaten the strength and sustainability of the early educator pipeline. On January 22 from 3:30–4:45 pm ET, AACTE, NAEYC, and the W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation will co-host Education Bookends: Threats to Higher Education and the Impact on the Early Educator Pipeline and Profession, a timely webinar bringing together national leaders from higher education, philanthropy, and early childhood to examine what’s at stake.

A new citywide poll commissioned by Kids First Chicago (K1C) reveals that while Chicagoans strongly support new State and City revenue options for Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the vast majority remain unaware of the most consequential governance change in CPS in decades: the transition to a fully elected 21-member Board of Education in 2027.

Foundation grantee, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation published a comprehensive progress report of the Student Opportunity Act. The goals of the Student Opportunity Act were expansive, and the final bill included a range of education policy initiatives. But above all else, the SOA aimed to dramatically increase the resources available for the highest need school districts across the state and create a data-driven structure to accurately assess how those resources were being used to close persistent disparities in student achievement.

In 2025,  the  W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation awarded approximately $5,.1 million in grants. Please visit our Grants Awarded section for detailed descriptions.

The State We’re In 2025: A Report on Public Education in Illinois, continues Foundation Grantee Advance Illinois’ tradition of taking a holistic approach to exploring Illinois’ education performance and progress across the full birth-to-postsecondary continuum. The report tracks the state’s key investments in education through funding, and metrics like staffing, and student performance over the past fifteen years to surface changes and trends. These findings underscore that while the state has established a strong foundation for learning and success, it must act boldly and with urgency to ensure all students thrive with equitable support.