New Principal Mentoring Program
This grant funds high-quality, individualized mentoring for all new Illinois principals to build leadership capacity and reduce turnover, focusing on diverse leaders and schools.
Funder: Illinois State Board of Education
Due Dates (Anticipated): November 2026 (Full application, projected)
Funding Amounts: Up to $1.2 million total (recent cycles); individual awards vary by number of mentees served; no matching required.
Summary: Supports individualized mentoring for all new Illinois principals, pairing them with veteran leaders to build leadership capacity and reduce turnover, especially in diverse school communities.
Description
The New Principal Mentoring Program, administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), provides funding to ensure all new principals in Illinois receive high-quality, individualized mentoring from experienced, successful veteran principals. The program aims to build leadership capacity, strengthen the leadership pipeline, and reduce principal turnover—particularly focusing on supporting diverse leaders and schools serving diverse student populations. Mentoring entities are selected through a competitive process and must demonstrate the capacity to serve first-year principals statewide, meet program standards, and deliver cost-effective, impactful mentoring services.
