Background
Titilayo Tinubu Ali is a partner at Bellwether and leads the organization’s work on early childhood education. She works at the intersection of education policy, research, and strategy, helping funders and system leaders make informed decisions about how to improve outcomes for children and families.
Her work spans early childhood education, education funding and resource allocation, educator workforce issues, and philanthropy. She has advised foundations and other funders on grantmaking strategy and investment decisions, and supported state and local leaders as they translate policy and research into practice. She is particularly interested in how philanthropy can deploy grants and other forms of capital to better match organizations’ needs.
Before joining Bellwether, Titilayo served as senior adviser and senior director of research and policy at the Southern Education Foundation, where she led work on education policy across the Southern U.S. Previously, she was a founding team member and senior research and policy analyst at the Learning Policy Institute, conducting early childhood research and co-leading the equitable resources and access team. At Living Cities, a collaborative of foundations and financial institutions, she carried out research at the intersection of philanthropy, community investment, and education and advised professional athletes and artists on education grantmaking.
Titilayo is a co-author of “On the Road to High-Quality Early Learning: Changing Children’s Lives” (Teachers College Press) and “Disrupting Disruption: Getting School Reform Right” (Oxford University Press). Her research and commentary have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, and National Public Radio, among other news media outlets.
Titilayo has taught education policy at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and served as a visiting professor at Georgetown Law.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Spelman College, a master’s degree in sociology of education and education policy from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.
Why I Do This Work
I grew up seeing the power of education in my own family. My maternal grandparents had access to only an elementary education, while my parents went on to earn graduate degrees and made sure their children had access to excellent educational opportunities. Through a magnet integration program, I attended excellent public elementary and middle schools and became aware early on that not every child had the same opportunities. I’ve spent my career working to change that.
Focus Areas
Early Childhood Education
Educator and Instructional Supports
Effective Philanthropy
Contact Information
titilayo.ali@bellwether.org
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