The “Funding Solutions” panel discussion at the May 2025 National Student Support Accelerator Conference highlighted six possible funding sources that states and school districts could use to sustain funding for high-impact tutoring programs. The discussion, moderated by Saga Education CEO Alan Safran, included panelists representing a school district, university, and private foundation. They offered their perspectives on how districts can best leverage these funding sources.
Why Tutoring Needs Sustainable Funding
School districts nationwide used federal emergency funding to launch high-impact tutoring programs. Research shows that when implemented well, high-impact tutoring can generate months of additional learning and address other potential challenges schools face, including building a teacher pipeline. With these funding sources expiring, states and districts must seek alternative funding sources to sustain tutoring programs.
Key Insights from the Panel
- Redirect existing Title I funds towards evidence-based tutoring programs.
- Lilia Nanez, Associate Superintendent of Ector County ISD in Texas, said a key committee redirected Title I and state compensatory education funds to tutoring based on the strong outcomes it delivered.
- Establish partnerships with universities to access resources such as work-study students, training programs, and other support services.
- Marina Barnett, Assistant Provost at Widener University in Pennsylvania, noted that her institution needed to increase community-based work-study positions to meet federal requirements. She sought to remedy this by establishing a high-impact tutoring program to support the local school district. The program provided the school district $42,000 worth of free math tutoring.
- Use philanthropic funding to initiate programs and demonstrate their effectiveness.
- Pete Lavorini, Portfolio Manager at Overdeck Family Foundation, said that few private philanthropy organizations want to be a long-term sustainable funding source. He advised districts to look for potential areas of alignment between what they want to achieve and the goals of local grantmakers. For instance, a grantmaker might not support tutoring yet, but they may fund teacher development. Schools can help funders see how tutoring supports teaching.
Five Funding Sources for High-Impact Tutoring
Title I—Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides supplemental financial assistance to school districts for children and low-income families. Title I and other Title II, III, and IV programs are among the best, most stable funding sources for high-impact tutoring programs.
State appropriations—According to the National Student Support Accelerator, almost half of all states provide some kind of competitive grant or formula funding for tutoring. For example, Massachusetts’ governor recently proposed adding $25 million for high-dosage literacy tutoring to the state budget.
Federal work-study (FWS)—The program has provided financial aid and work experience to lower-income college students for over 60 years. About 600,000 college students get financial assistance through work-study. Universities and colleges that use FWS must spend seven percent of their annual allocation on community-based jobs. Learn more about FWS tutoring in our white paper, Leveraging the Federal Work-Study Program for P–12 Tutoring.
Apprenticeship programs—The Department of Labor’s Registered Apprentice Program is another potential source of funding for high-impact tutoring. The New Jersey Tutoring Corps is the first organization to leverage this federal funding source to create an apprenticeship pathway for tutors to become teachers.
Private philanthropy—Local, state, and national grantmakers can be excellent sources of start-up funds for tutoring programs. Private funders want to invest in tutoring because they want to put resources where the evidence is strongest.
Recommendation for State Education Commissioners and District Leaders
- Advocate for states to set aside a portion of their Title I allocation specifically for tutoring programs (e.g., Ohio dedicates three percent of its Title I funding for multiple purposes, one of which is tutoring).
- Leverage federal work-study programs to subsidize tutors and create a pipeline of future teachers.
- Seek opportunities to collaborate with higher education institutions and encourage prioritizing community work-study positions for students.