Beginning in January 2022, the Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) will be piloting a new initiative – called the Strategic Partner Cohort (SPC). A select group of partners demonstrating strong program design and alignment with District priorities will receive additional support and resources from OSP and other District offices.  The goal of the SPC is to help our strongest and most aligned partners to strengthen – and expand on – their great work in District schools.

Some of the benefits of participating in the pilot will include:

  • Tailored data visualization and mapping of program and aggregated District data to support partners’ program planning and grant-seeking efforts
  • Access to regular convenings with OSP to provide feedback, make requests to OSP, and brainstorm ideas for how partners can be better supported by the District
  • Opportunity to build out the District’s inclusion and support of partners in decision-making and collaboration on District initiatives
  • Potential access to additional resources, such as evaluative tools, training, and professional development opportunities.

Application Requirements

In order to participate in this pilot partners will need to:

  • Be up-to-date with all compliance requirements for operating in District schools (see Partner Onboarding Requirements)
  • Complete this short application
  • E-mail a robust logic model that outlines the design and goals of the program using this template to partnerships@philasd.org. (See Logic Model Guidance for more details on what we are looking for)
    • Note: If your program already has an existing logic model, much of that content can be copied and pasted directly to our template.

All materials must be submitted by 4 pm on Wednesday, January 5.

SPC Format and Timeline

The SPC will convene roughly once per month between January 2022 and June 2022.

The first session will focus on introducing the SPC and the participating partners.

The second session will include representatives from the District’s Office of Grant Development and focus on how the District can better support partners’ pursuit of grant funding.

The focus of subsequent sessions will be determined by the participating partners and OSP.  Session themes can be suggested by participating partners, with OSP working to plan these sessions and involve other District offices as needed.

Assistance with visualizing program and District data

In addition to these monthly convenings, OSP will meet several times with each participating partner to plan and facilitate formative discussions using partner program and aggregated District data.  The focus of these discussions will be determined by each partner with support from OSP.