Big News! Stand Together Trust is proud to partner with Building Hope to launch the new Microschool Loan Program, a $675,000 loan fund fueled by philanthropic support from Stand Together Trust and the Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation. This initiative supports early-stage, founder-led microschools with flexible, affordable capital. Building Hope will lead program implementation and lending. Who’s Eligible: Microschools that meet the following criteria are eligible to apply: - Operating now or launching by Fall 2025 - A registered nonprofit or for-profit business in their state - An active business bank account - No pending litigation that could materially impact finances or operations - Planning to serve 10–100 students in the 2025–26 school year - Willing to collect a $25 deposit per projected student to validate enrollment - Willing to secure general liability business insurance before loan closing - A signed commercial lease before funds are disbursed - Able to submit a five-year financial model with the loan application Home-based microschools are not eligible for this pilot, though we’re actively identifying lenders who successfully underwrite these programs. This fund is more than a financial product. It’s a prototype. A learning platform. A first step toward showing that microschools can and will repay mission-aligned capital if given the chance. I encourage you to apply if you are seeking debt financing.

One of the biggest questions I see from founders and entrepreneurs is: How do I reach my people? It may be How do I enroll families? or How do I market effectively? or How do I find clients? Use this space to share your unconventional marketing, partnerships, events, that have drawn your ideal families, students, and clients to your business. Ideas from UP Academy: Reviews on Yelp/Google/Facebook Partnerships with local education companies: Immersive Beijing Learning Foundation, Kidizens, Coder School, Looking Glass Korean School, Dragonfly Designs, Skilled Therapy and Play, and more Preschool and Private school fairs Regular school tours and open houses Advertising on social media Posts on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn - Have current and past families post! Network with local schools, educational consultants, therapists, educational psychologists, after school programs, preschools Events: panels and parties After school programs and camps What have you done that works for you to build enrollment, build your brand, and gain trust?

Hey Rebel Founders! Thank you to those of you who made it to our calls last spring! I am excited to continue this format in our Skool group. Our call is tomorrow, November 13, 4:30 pm PST (USA-CA). Zoom link in the Skool Calendar. Please comment and share any topics you would like to discuss. This format will be a monthly call (for now) to answer questions and share knowledge with each other. It will be a community format where we can share our perspective and experience to help each other through the school founding process. This call is for you if: - You are starting a school - You have a micro school that you want to launch into a bigger more permanent school - You are interested in learning more about starting a school - You are a rebel educator who pushes the status quo in education This week will be a roundtable discussion format, each of you will have a few minutes for a 'hot seat' question, bring the thing that is troubling you now and we will spend a few minutes working on your challenges together. The expectation is that you stay for the entire call out of respect for each other and because we can learn so much from each other's challenges. A reminder that issues shared on the call are confidential. These calls are not recorded. Keep challenging the status quo! Invite your friends and let's grow our community! https://www.skool.com/rebeleducator/about

Being a leader is about making decisions. Yesterday we made the best decision. We closed school. On a Thursday. With two weeks notice. For a party! To celebrate one of our educators who was getting married! It wasn't an easy decision. It was a quick timeframe to cancel school on a Thursday and leave our families without childcare. We were worried how they would react. We were worried they would be upset. We were worried it would negatively impact the culture we were so carefully building. But culture is about people. We talked with members of our community. We talked with our team. We decided that celebrating love was the most important thing and true to our values of community and empathy. We are a small community. We support each other. We celebrate each other. Sometimes decisions are quick and easy, sometimes they are big and hard and sometimes they feel harder than they should be. This one felt hard, but really, it was easy. As the community came together to celebrate her in the afternoon, it was clear we made the right decision. One of the amazing things about running a small non-traditional school is that you can decide to close, to celebrate, to be about community instead of academics for a day. What hard decisions have you made this week?

Business challenge, for example - I need to grow enrollment Personal challenge, for example - I want to spend more time with family What are your challenges?