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.
Our work
Programs
Featured programs
Learning Minds
Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship Program
Our global fellowship program is for researchers whose work is dedicated to improving children’s learning and development.
Learning Schools
EdTech Evidence Ecosystem
We aim to strengthen the EdTech ecosystem by encouraging greater use of evidence in investment decisions and product development and assessment.
Learning Societies
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.
Learning Schools
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.
Learning Minds
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.
Learning Societies
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.
Learning Minds
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”.
Learning Societies
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.
Learning Schools
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.
Learning Schools
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).
Learning Societies
Ghana: supporting quality education based on evidence
In collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Ghana we are supporting the provision of quality education.
Learning Minds
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.
Learning Minds
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.
Learning Minds
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.
Learning Minds
The Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Prizes
The Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Prizes acknowledge institutions or individuals working to implement innovative solutions to improve child and youth development and learning.
Learning Minds
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.
Learning Minds
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.
Learning Minds
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.
Learning Minds
Jacobs Center for productive youth development
Jacobs Center research focuses on the transition from childhood to adolescence and then to adulthood.
Partner with us
We work with a network of partners to seek innovative ways to promote children’s learning and development.
Past programs
Ready! Early childhood is decisive
Ready! is a campaign throughout Switzerland that focuses on the formative early childhood years. It brings partners active in the early childhood sector together to work toward a comprehensive early childhood policy.
Jacobs Media Fellowships
Our Media Fellowships supported science writers to raise public awareness of child and youth development research.
A Mutual Understanding for Children’s Transitions (TIPI)
Ticino Progetto Infanzia (TIPI) aims to stimulate children’s development in the home, support their growth in the daycare setting, and ensure that they are well prepared for the transition to preschool and elementary school.