Districts that year after year receive the most significant philanthropic support appear to be those that use the funding in systematic, coherent ways. Often, however, the initiative for such approaches appears to come from the donors rather than the districts or schools themselves. For example, the Rapides Foundation, in central Louisiana, is supporting 44 schools in an 11-parish area through an "Education Initiative." Schools applying for the Education Initiative Grant Program must describe their overall improvement plan; identify and measure desired project outcomes including milestones which indicate progress in resolving the indicated problem or need; describe collaboration among schools for the improvement of teaching and learning; and develop projects broad or extensive enough to require a four or five year period for full implementation. The program aims at providing teachers and principals with the resources needed to upgrade the skills of the teaching corps and to improve the environment for teaching and learning. Schools receive up to $25,000 each year for five years to sustain, deepen and extend their efforts.

The Houston Annenberg Challenge (HAC), mentioned previously, is a systemic reform effort that has resulted in a reallocation of school district resources in support of the investment made by the grantor. It grew out of a response to an Annenberg request for proposals. In many instances the six participating districts already have evidence of improved student outcomes, which enhances the HAC's competitiveness for other grants. Project GRAD, a part of the HAC, has received $2,025,000 from the Ford Foundation. Recently the HAC was part of a consortium awarded a 5-year, $3.9 million Teacher Quality Enhancement Program grant by the U.S. Department of Education. Partnerships must match federal funds with cash or in-kind support. Most of the major independent foundations in the Houston area are supporting the HAC, as are several major corporations headquartered in Houston.

A conversation with a program officer for an independent foundation in rural Arkansas suggests that districts that commit to a systemic approach to education reform are more likely to find external grant funds. The foundation had previously supported local school districts with capital improvement funds and grants for technical equipment. Dissatisfied with this kind of piecemeal reform, the foundation sought assistance from SEDL in rethinking the way its resources are allocated to area school districts. Like the Rapides Foundation and the HAC, the foundation intends to be very proactive in its development of a project.