BACKGROUND

Georgia’s first charter school law was passed in 1993 and amended in 1998 to allow for locally approved charter schools.  In 2008, the law was amended to allow for a state commission to approve charter schools, however in 2011, the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled the commission law unconstitutional.  In 2012, a constitutional amendment was overwhelmingly approved by Georgia voters to allow for a new State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia ("Commission"). In addition to state authorization, the Commission was granted the authority to actively seek supplemental revenue from federal grant funds, institutional grant funds, and philanthropic organizations. As a result, the State Charter Schools Foundation of Georgia (SCSF or Foundation) was incorporated in 2015.

SCSF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation established to support the mission of the Commission by organizing resources to advance education through excellent state charter schools.  While the Commission played a role in the creation of the SCSF, the two organizations are separate and operate under the authority of two different governing boards and separate bylaws.  The Commission and Foundation both share an unwavering commitment to support state charter schools; however, the organizations play very different roles in terms of providing that support.   The Commission is the state charter authorizer (the entity charged with approving, evaluating, and holding state charters accountable for performance), and the Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation that was established to make strategic grant investments to support the planning, implementation, capital costs and growth of excellent state charter schools.