MADISON, May 22, 2026 — Applications for the nation’s largest education innovation award, the $1 million Yass Prize, close June 1, 2026 at 12:00 P.M. ET. Wisconsin education providers of every type, sector, and scale are encouraged to apply before the window closes at yassprize.org.
Wisconsin — birthplace of the school choice movement — has already produced some of the Yass Prize’s most recognized innovators. Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy in Milwaukee, a college-preparatory charter network dedicated to serving students of color, was named a 2025 Semifinalist. LUMIN Schools in Milwaukee, serving underserved communities through an innovative blended learning model, earned recognition as a 2023 Semifinalist, and Notre Dame School of Milwaukee, a bilingual school serving Milwaukee families, was named a 2024 Semifinalist — joined by additional awardees in Milwaukee and Madison across multiple cohort years. With the June 1 deadline approaching, Yass Prize organizers want to ensure Wisconsin’s education innovators have every chance to apply before the window closes.
The Yass Prize recognizes the most transformational, sustainable, and outstanding education models in America, awarding over $60 million to date to more than 225 school founders and education leaders across 45 states — funding and supporting them to accelerate their impact and expand opportunity in the communities they serve.
The effort is sector agnostic. Past winners and finalists span the full spectrum: from innovative public models to private networks, charter schools, microschools and career and technical programs. What unites them is a relentless sense of urgency to make education work for every kind of student.
“The deep learning and expansive connections of the Yass Prize have been transformative for both our programming and potential growth. We wouldn’t be as strongly positioned in our community as we are without their support,” said Shaun Luehring, CEO of LUMIN Schools.
“Year after year, the organizations that have moved quickly to the top are the ones who almost didn’t apply. If you’re doing extraordinary work for kids, this prize was built for you,” said Caroline Allen, Founding Director of the Yass Prize.
Selected finalists will attend the Yass Prize Accelerator in Miami — an intensive boot camp where participants are paired with expert advisors, sharpen their business plans, and pitch for the $1 million grand prize. The winner will be announced at the Power of Innovation Summit on October 6, 2026 in Philadelphia.
Yass Prize co-founder Janine Yass, who launched the prize alongside her husband Jeff, said of the award: “Every year, we are thrilled to find these education changemakers, and we are grateful to be able to reward their extraordinary creativity, tenacity, and achievements, and to help them build for the future.”
Applications close June 1, 2026 at 12:00 P.M. ET. Apply at yassprize.org. Press interested in interviewing organizers, past winners, or attending events or award presentations are welcome to inquire at press@edreform.com
ABOUT THE YASS PRIZE
The $1 million Yass Prize is America’s largest education innovation award. Since 2021, it has awarded over $60 million to more than 225 organizations across 45 states and is powered by the Center for Education Reform. Learn more at YassPrize.org.
