The Yass Prize

The Yass Prize

The Yass Prize was created in 2021 by Janine and Jeff Yass, the latter a co-founder of Susquehanna International Group. The initiative channels wealth generated in options trading into a search for the most transformational education providers in the United States. The foundation operates from New Orleans, with a secondary hub in Minnetonka, and runs an open-application competition rather than a closed grantmaking process. The Prize awards a $1 million grand prize and distributes upwards of $20 million each cycle to dozens of finalists and semifinalists, constituting one of the largest private annual award purses for K-12 innovation. Recipients span public charter networks, microschools, homeschooling collaboratives, and private scholarship organizations. Winners have included Arizona Autism Charter Schools and Valiant Cross Academy, both recognized for outcomes with historically marginalized student populations. The program actively targets models that remained open during pandemic closures, often backing operators in Florida, Texas, and Arizona where regulatory frameworks permit flexible schooling structures. The Yass Foundation for Education oversees the Prize and is structured as a 501(c)(3) separate from the family's political and investment vehicles. The foundation does not disclose total assets, but its annual deployment pace signals a multi-year commitment in the nine-figure range. The Yass family also supports school-choice advocacy organizations, though the Prize itself maintains a programmatic firewall that evaluates applicants solely on student outcomes and parental demand. The Prize is administered in partnership with Forbes, which provides media amplification for the winners. In 2023, the competition expanded its award categories to strengthen the alumni network among past winners (per the foundation, 2023). Unlike traditional education philanthropy that funds research or district partnerships, the Yass Prize operates as a scaled talent-identification engine. It sources applicants nationally, selects through a multi-stage review, and then builds a durable community of operators who share data and tactics. This tournament model — high visibility, large cash prizes, and an ongoing alumni network — is structurally closer to an XPRIZE or MacArthur Fellowship program than to a conventional family foundation grant cycle.