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Public School Forum of North Carolina

U.S. center-left (public education advocacy)

Owned byIndependent 501(c)(3) nonprofit governed by a 60-member Board of Directors drawn equally from business, government, and education sectors; no single owner
FundingPrimarily foundation grants (including the Mott Foundation), individual donations, corporate partnerships, and workplace giving programs; annual revenue roughly $4.8 million
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Public School Forum of North Carolina was founded in 1986 by business, political, and education leaders who wanted a standing body to study education and economic competitiveness in the state. It was structured as a bipartisan commission meant to develop consensus recommendations and push them into law, describing its founding purpose as the ability to 'speak truth to power.' Over four decades it evolved into what it calls a 'think-and-do tank,' combining policy research with on-the-ground programs such as coordinating the state's afterschool network with Mott Foundation support. The Forum has consistently opposed expansion of private school vouchers, arguing North Carolina already ranks last nationally in school funding effort and that diverting public dollars to private schools deepens inequity. It publishes an annual Local School Finance Study and convenes lawmakers and business leaders each January at its 'Eggs & Issues' forum. Following the start of Trump's second term in January 2025, the Forum tracked and publicly criticized federal school-choice executive orders and the administration's mid-2025 freeze of federal Title funds for North Carolina, which the state attorney general challenged in court. Its stated self-description as 'nonpartisan' is not fully accurate; its policy positions align squarely with progressive public-education advocacy, putting it at odds with Republican-led school-choice and voucher policies at both the state and federal levels.

Sources

  1. Public School Forum of North Carolina – Official Website
  2. Our Mission – Public School Forum
  3. Our Board of Directors & Advisory Members
  4. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer – Public School Forum of NC
  5. Charity Navigator – Public School Forum of NC
  6. Private School Vouchers are Unpopular, Failed Policy – ncforum.org
  7. Public School Forum shares 2025–26 top education issues – EdNC
  8. Trump administration freezes $165M in federal funds for NC public schools – WUNC
  9. Trump administration thaws remaining $130M in frozen funds for NC public schools – WUNC
  10. Public School Forum puts student needs in the forefront ahead of legislative short session – EdNC
  11. Mott Foundation Grant to Public School Forum

Profile compiled 2026-08-29; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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