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. 

The Civics Prize, offered as part of SPN’s Ed-Prize, recognizes and accelerates innovative, forward-thinking projects that strengthen civic literacy and understanding of America’s system of self-government among K–12 students.

The prize is awarded annually to projects that support State Policy Network’s vision of a future where all young people are prepared to engage thoughtfully in citizenship and civic life, with a strong understanding of their rights, responsibilities, and the institutions that sustain a free society.

Grant award amounts range from $20,000 to $75,000 for Ed Prize and $20,000 to $60,000 for Civics Prize. Winners meet with SPN staff quarterly to report on progress during the 12-month period of the grant. 

Winners are recognized at SPN’s Annual Meeting where, in 2025, more than 1,500 leaders from 500 organizations and 50 states gathered. Any applicant who offers a promising solution may be connected to our nationwide Network where solutions can be expanded to communities across the country.

State Policy Network invites community leaders, non-profits, state-based think tanks, and national organizations to identify the most promising approaches to the challenges our communities face. We work with our members to refine and improve these approaches, then to test the best ideas on the ground. This advances our Network’s efforts to improve education outcomes through better public policy. 

The purpose of the prizes is to identify, reward, and connect the most creative and enthusiastic education entrepreneurs in the United States to our Network. The prizes support and accelerate entrepreneurs in their work and learning about innovative education solutions in action across the country strengthens our Network.

Our vision is rooted in the following guiding principles:

• Empowering Parents: Parents and guardians are the rightful decision-makers in their child’s education. Our Network advances policies that provide parents and guardians the freedom to choose the educational environment that best serves the unique needs of their child and aligns with their values and beliefs. Parents have options—not limited by ZIP code or income—and exercise those options. 
   

• Decentralizing Education: We strive for a system that minimizes bureaucracy by authorizing local communities to advocate for bottom-up solutions to local problems. By decentralizing education, we aim to increase flexibility and responsiveness to the diverse preferences of students and their families.  
   

• Unbundling: We affirm that education “unbundled” fosters innovation and a culture of continuous, incremental improvement. We support policies that not only permit but promote pluralism. We commit to champion this not only because we inherently value it, but because we surmise the availability of more high-quality options in the education marketplace will result in improved academic outcomes.  
   

• Personalizing Learning: Each child is an individual with distinct strengths, struggles, and learning styles. We endorse a varied range of teaching models, methods, and curricula to accommodate these differences, prioritizing student success over preserving the status quo.   
   

• Protecting Freedom of Thought: We stand for intellectual freedom. Children should be taught how to think, not what to think. We encourage educators and students to engage in open dialogue, explore different perspectives, and challenge ideas without fear of censorship or indoctrination.  
   

• Responsibility: We expect transparent and accountable stewardship of public dollars in education spending. We advocate on behalf of all stakeholders in America’s K-12 education ecosystem: students, parents and guardians, educators, and taxpayers.  
   

• Joyful, Lifelong Learning: Education does not begin or end with schooling. We seek K-12 learning environments that spark curiosity and a true love of learning. This recognizes the importance of openness to growth and the desire for unabating education and skill development—beyond the classroom, college, or career—but throughout an individual’s life.   

Ed-Prize has been made possible through the generous support of sponsors. Past sponsors of Ed-Prize include The Challenge Foundation, Rupe Foundation, Stand Together Trust, and Walton Family Foundation.

Civics Prize is made possible through the generous support of the Daniels Fund