Elevate Collegiate Charter School: Educating Houston's Future Leaders
$3,980,000 construction loan (October 2023)
Partner: Texas Charter School Development (TCSD)
Elevate Collegiate Charter School (Elevate Collegiate) is a new community-centered charter school led by and serving people of color located in the Third Ward neighborhood of Houston. The Third Ward is home to some of the most critical institutions in Houston's Black community, including Texas Southern University, Riverside Hospital, and dozens of prominent churches. Using a culturally responsive curriculum that reflects the diverse experiences of its students, Elevate Collegiate supports students' diverse educational needs through frequent progress monitoring, small-group instruction informed by that monitoring, and additional time in literacy and math to close gaps.
"Nonprofit Finance Fund's loan to Elevate Collegiate Charter School, in collaboration with Texas Charter School Development (“TCSD”), has enabled the school to secure a long-term home in the Greater Third Ward, providing a safe and inspiring learning environment for their scholars. With NFF’s support, TCSD is transforming Elevate’s campus to accommodate 472 students in grades PreK-5."
- John Sun, CEO, Texas Charter School Development
NFF's loan and a $2 million subordinated loan from TCSD will finance Elevate Collegiate’s two-phase leasehold improvement. This renovation project will provide the financing needed to renovate 24,000 square feet of space to create 18 classrooms, support offices, a shared kitchen, and a multi-purpose room. This includes constructing a new 3,100 square-foot mezzanine level for student use.
This loan was supported by NFF’s credit enhancement grant program facilitated by the United States Department of Education's Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program. This credit enhancement grant program allows us to offer low-cost capital that helps start-up and single-site schools acquire, construct, and renovate new or existing facilities.
Interested in learning more about our work with charter schools like Elevate? Visit the Charter Schools page of our website.