Founded in 2015, the Grinnell Education Partnership (GEP) is a collective impact initiative uniting more than 50 community organizations around a shared commitment to better support students and families in the Grinnell area. Inspired by the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading and research highlighting third-grade literacy as a key predictor of long-term success, GEP works to close opportunity gaps for at-risk youth by strengthening education and enrichment opportunities for all children.

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Grinnell College and the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation serve as backbone organizations, coordinating a robust network of nonprofit, governmental, and business partners who contribute expertise, resources, and leadership. Since its inception, GEP has engaged more than 200 AmeriCorps members, including Grinnell College and Grinnell High School students, and generated over $2 million in public and private funding to support programming.