Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Boulder Fund, a multimillion-dollar grant program investing in innovative leaders of color committed to ensuring young people of color have opportunities to build generational wealth and thrive. Since its inception in 2018, the Boulder Fund has committed $6.9 million in grants, supporting 50 organizations nationwide.  

Grants were awarded to leaders who offer novel solutions to persistent barriers of systemic oppression, marginalization, and misrepresentation in communities of color across the nation, which include solutions to increasing access and interest in STEM, leadership and professional development for educators and youth, financial literacy for high school students, and more. These grants fill a particular vacuum in funding, as many institutions have recently rolled back funding and programming aimed at addressing racial inequities across the nation.   

The Department of Education (ED), under the direction of Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, enacted a reduction in force (RIF) to lay off approximately 50% of its workforce today. This dismantling of ED under the guise of layoffs is a direct attack on America’s public schools, students, and teachers. And it’s something Americans simply don’t want. According to a recent Marist poll, 63% of Americans oppose eliminating the ED, including 64% of Independents.  

Let’s be clear: No matter what this administration says, a Department of Education with just half its staff cannot do the job that Congress and the American people have mandated it to do. It’s time for all of us in this Network to demand that our representatives are transparent about the impact of these cuts, and that they protect every student’s right to have an equitable education. Families deserve to see a clear plan outlining how programs and services will continue to operate at full capacity moving forward. It is essential that practitioners—including teachers, students, parents, and principals—are actively involved in the development of this plan, as they possess the firsthand knowledge and experience needed to ensure the federal partnership functions effectively.