For Funders & Partners
Funding us funds families
at the most critical moment.
EDquity at the Margins operates at the intersection of special education law, racial equity, and family empowerment. Every dollar we receive goes directly to closing a documented gap in who gets advocacy.
The Problem We Solve
A documented disparity
Research consistently shows that Black, Brown, economically disadvantaged, and rural families receive fewer and less appropriate special education services than their white, higher-income peers, despite identical legal protections.
A legal solution that exists
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act already guarantees every eligible child a free and appropriate public education. The gap is enforcement capacity, not law.
A market that fails families
Private special education advocates charge $100–$300/hour nationally. The families who most need advocacy are the least able to pay market rates.
How the Work Sustains Itself
We are a family-first organization with a two-sided model. Schools and systems pay for our consulting services, independent blind IEP quality audits, the EDquity Leader Fellowship, and educator professional development, and ten percent of every consulting fee is designated to the Family Audit Fund, which keeps our family services free. Earned revenue is the floor under this work; it does not disappear when a grant cycle ends.
Philanthropy is how the work reaches further than earned revenue alone can carry it: funding free audits beyond what the fund covers, and sponsoring fellowship seats for under-resourced schools whose leaders could never otherwise access them. Your dollars do not keep the lights on; they extend the reach.
Our Outcomes
50
families to serve free in Year 1
$0
charged to families. Access is the model, not a marketing phrase.
21+
years of Dr. Clarke-Wedderburn's special education expertise
100%
of families pay nothing for the IEP Audit and Advocacy Toolkit
Partnership Levels
Community Funder
$1,000 – $4,999
- Funds 4–20 free IEP Audits for families who cannot pay for advocacy
- Named acknowledgment in annual report
- Impact update letter at year's end
Program Sponsor
$5,000 – $24,999
- Funds 20–100 free IEP Audits for families who cannot pay for advocacy
- Sponsors a Leader Fellowship seat for an under-resourced school ($8,000 funds the full year, including donated evaluation services)
- Co-branded acknowledgment on website
- Quarterly impact reports with de-identified outcome data
- Invitation to community education events
Founding Partner
$25,000+
- Funds organizational capacity and free family services for an entire year
- Named sponsorship of a specific program or cohort, including fellowship seats for under-resourced schools
- Invitation to the annual Impact Expo, where fellows present their schools' measured results
- Annual site visit or program briefing with Dr. Clarke-Wedderburn
- Full outcome report with case-level narrative summaries
- Input on program evaluation design
Letter of Inquiry
Interested in supporting our work? Submit a brief letter of inquiry below and Dr. Clarke-Wedderburn will respond within 5 business days.