We fund basic research in early learning and child development, fueling new discoveries and expanding the understanding of how children can learn and grow from age 0-8. We also fund programs and initiatives that turn research into action: We help parents, teachers, pediatric health care workers, and other influential adults build skills that promote learning and development in young children. And we are helping to create a better prepared, better compensated early education workforce with science-based training and advocacy investments to ensure that all children have quality, affordable, culturally relevant learning opportunities.

We support research on learning and development in the adolescent years, with a focus on ages 9 to 18. We also support the dissemination of scientific insights to adults who engage with adolescent learners in school and beyond. We fund programs that aim to transform education systems, teacher practice, and school environments so that they best meet adolescent needs. We support a teaching workforce that reflects students’ communities and cultures, along with programs that recognize adolescents as co-creators of their learning and give them opportunities to practice leadership and contribute to effect change.