Our work

Programs

Since our creation in 1989, the Jacobs Foundation has been dedicated to improving education for children around the world. Our programs seek innovative ways to achieve lasting, positive change in education, based on research and evidence.

Featured programs

Global

Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship Program

Our global fellowship program is for researchers whose work is dedicated to improving children’s learning and development.
Primary school children working together around a table
Global

The Learning Variability NeTwork Exchange (LEVANTE)

LEVANTE is an ambitious project designed to coordinate data collection by research teams on children’s learning variability within and across individuals, groups, and cultures.
Global

The Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize

The Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize acknowledges exceptional researchers making significant contributions to learning and development, or improving the living conditions of children and youth.

Global programs

Global

Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship Program

Our global fellowship program is for researchers whose work is dedicated to improving children’s learning and development.
Primary school children working together around a table
Global

The Learning Variability NeTwork Exchange (LEVANTE)

LEVANTE is an ambitious project designed to coordinate data collection by research teams on children’s learning variability within and across individuals, groups, and cultures.
Global

The Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize

The Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize acknowledges exceptional researchers making significant contributions to learning and development, or improving the living conditions of children and youth.
A group of people watching a conference presentation
Global

Jacobs Foundation Conference and Young Scholars

We hold a three-day event every two years to present and produce cutting-edge findings about child and youth development and learning.
Global

Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development

Jacobs Center research focuses on the transition from childhood to adolescence and then to adulthood.
A woman and a young child play with a toy robot in a classroom
Global

Research centers improve the use of EdTech and AI

We fund two research centers to improve the design and use of artificial intelligence (AI) and new technology products in schools.
Global

Interdisciplinary Educational Research (CIDER)

We are a major supporter of the College for Interdisciplinary Educational Research (CIDER), which works to improve interdisciplinary cooperation in educational research.
Global

EdTech Evidence Ecosystem

We aim to strengthen the EdTech ecosystem by encouraging greater use of evidence in investment decisions and product development and assessment.
A primary school child uses a virtual reality headset with other children around them
Global

Learning EdTech Impact Funds (LEIF)

We aim to bridge the divide between science and industry, ensuring that robust evidence drives the development, use, and evaluation of EdTech.
Primary schoolchildren in Africa work together on a laptop outside a school
Global

Impact-Linked Fund for Education (ILFE)

We target high-impact enterprises improving learning outcomes for children and youth in West Africa and MENA (Middle East and North Africa).
A group of people with raised hands standing under trees
Global

School Action Learning Exchange (SALEX)

A community of organizations facilitates the generation and uptake of research in education, by sharing knowledge, building capacity, and implementing promising practices in schools.

Local programs

Local

Côte d’Ivoire: Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF)

A CHF 110 million primary education program aims to reach four million children in Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa-growing areas and beyond.
A girl raises her hand in a classroom
Local

Ghana: supporting quality education based on evidence

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Ghana we are supporting the provision of quality education.
A street scene in Colombia
Local

Colombia: Evidencia Potential

Our work in Colombia focuses on narrowing the large learning gaps in foundational skills and socioemotional learning on a national and regional level.
Children work together on a laptop computer in a classroom
Local

Supporting the Digitization of the Swiss Education System

We are trying to bridge the gap between evidence, policy, and practice, to ensure all children in Switzerland thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Partner with us

We work with a network of partners to seek innovative ways to promote children’s learning and development.

Learn more

Past programs

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Global

Leveraging Evidence for Action to Promote Change (LEAP)

Education organizations receive support from researchers or social entrepreneurs who are experts on topics they need assistance with in 12-week project “sprints”.
Two young children play with numbered blocks on a wooden floor
Global

Learning Sciences Exchange Fellowship (LSX)

Fellows from research, journalism, entertainement, entrepreneurship, and education come together to learn from each other and collaborate on key issues in the learning sciences.
Global

Coalitions for evidence inspired action

We link researchers, social entrepreneurs, and institutions to identify and strengthen solutions that effectively address children’s individual learning needs and support them to reach their full potential.