We empower educational leaders in the Gem State by providing one- or two-year fellowships to those who take risks and put children first. In partnership with the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, Bluum serves as a funding intermediary and local champion for supporting entrepreneurial education ventures. Bluum provides partner schools with additional services and technical assistance. Our team can help elevate the business of running a school by reviewing financial infrastructure and identifying areas of strength and areas for improvement. Bluum has become a go-to resource on education research and innovation. We aim to share the work of Idaho’s high performing schools and outstanding educators. Our hope is that it can become a national model for helping all children reach their fullest potential. Idaho’s $25 million Building on Success for Future Excellence program led by the Idaho education non-profit Bluum announced the award of $6,800,000 in competitive grant funding from the Federal Charter School Program. This round of awarded subgrantees plans to create 1,895 new school seats throughout the state of Idaho. In early 2023, Margaret Raymond and James Lynn Woodworth, from Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), presented findings on the academic performance of Idaho’s public charter schools. They had been studying charter schools in 29 other states, and said CREDO is known nationally as the “charter school analysis people.” In their 2023 presentation to the Idaho State Board of Education they reported, “Idaho’s special education results are among the best that we’ve seen nationally.” Raymond went on to say, “We normally see a much larger offset of learning in the special education community.” She concluded, “There is an overall best practices emerging from the picture that we see over time in Idaho that we think actually could be important for other charter school communities around the country to look at, particularly in poverty and special education.” Gem Prep Meridian South, Idaho, April 21, 2025 – At dawn, Mickayla Dayan can be found in rubber boots, tending to goats on her family’s dairy farm—milking, feeding, and making artisanal soap and cheese. By mid-morning, she’s deep into college-level coursework, tackling subjects like Human Biology, Sociology, and English 101. And by afternoon, she’s leading student council meetings and planning National Honor Society initiatives. As a 10th grade student at Gem Prep: Meridian South, Mickayla embodies Gem Prep’s values as she seamlessly blends farm life, academic rigor, and leadership responsibilities.
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Impact Stats
since 2015.
$32,969,806
FEDERAL CHARTER SCHOOLS PROGRAM INVESTMENT
19,545
TOTAL NEW SCHOOL SEATS CREATED
38
TOTAL IDAHO SCHOOLS SUPPORTED
$106,777,342
TOTAL PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENT
Stories
$800,000 in New Competitive Federal Public Charter School Grants Awarded
In Honor of Steve Farkas – The Epitome of a Mensch
Rising Above: Farm Life Fuels Success for Gem Prep Student
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