BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama will serve as the launch site for a new $20 million national initiative – a “first-of-its-kind nationwide effort” – aimed at expanding partnerships between Historically Black Colleges and Universities and public charter schools.
City Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Thursday they will each contribute $10 million to the effort, which seeks to create new charter schools affiliated with HBCUs and strengthen existing collaborations in several Southern states. UNCF will help support and coordinate the work.
New Schools for Alabama CEO Tyler Barnett said national interest in launching the initiative here reflects local demand for new school models.
“What a game-changer for our students and our state. This new fund will jumpstart awesome opportunities for Alabama children and bring great K-12 instruction to communities that need support most,” Barnett said.
“It will truly change the trajectory of individual lives, and the positive impact of today’s announcement will reverberate for years,” he said.
Two Alabama charter schools connected to the initiative are already underway. I Dream Big, Tuscaloosa’s first charter school, opened in August through a partnership with Stillman College. The school operates as a lab school and currently serves grades 6 through 8.
D.C. Wolfe Charter School in Macon County is expected to open in 2026 as a conversion charter school in collaboration with Tuskegee University, serving students from pre-K through sixth grade.
Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that have more flexibility in how they operate, as long as they meet specific academic and financial standards.
Future partnerships may take different forms depending on the institution, including co-locating a charter school on an HBCU campus, offering dual-enrollment opportunities, establishing automatic admission pathways or sharing governance structures. Some collaborations may also create teaching fellowships or classroom internship opportunities for HBCU students.
City Fund CEO Marlon Marshall said the effort is informed by what his organization hears from local leaders across participating cities.
“Our work is all about empowering local leaders who are transforming education in their communities,” he said. “We’re launching this fund with Bloomberg Philanthropies because we’re hearing directly from these communities about the urgent demand for more high-quality public school options.”
Howard Wolfson, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ education program, said the partnerships aim to combine “the proven success of HBCUs with the strong results of public charter schools” to expand educational opportunities.
UNCF vice president Sekou Biddle said the collaborations are designed to draw on HBCUs’ academic and community strengths. “This partnership reflects a growing understanding that HBCUs can play a powerful role in reimagining public education, anchoring schools in academic excellence and deep community connection,” Biddle said.
Alabama’s role in the initiative comes as the state’s charter sector remains relatively small but gradually expanding since the legislature authorized charter schools in 2015.
Just over a dozen public charter schools operate statewide, including several conversion schools in Montgomery along with start-up schools in the Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile areas and in the west Alabama area.
Grants will support Tuskegee University, Stillman College, UNCF, New Schools for Alabama and other partners.
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