Idaho Facility Ecosystem Slides

June 23, 2025
Bluum created a three-pronged financing ecosystem over 10 years to empower new charter schools to construct and own affordable facilities. They partnered with philanthropy, the State of Idaho, the federal government, Building Hope, and private lenders.

State Snapshot of Public Financing for Facilities

August 3, 2020
State credit enhancement programs can provide effective, low-cost financing support for charter schools seeking to reduce costs for facilities financing. Read about relatively unknown state programs in addition to the popular federal credit enhancement program.

Overview of State Facility Policies and Other Facility Strategies

March 14, 2020
In response to a frustrated local city council member who asked, “isn’t there a list of best practices for charter school facilities?”, this brief highlights some of the most promising practices identified around the country and provides local leaders with a framework for analyzing and prioritizing their local ecosystem of charter school facility policy, finance, and real estate solutions to improve charter school facility options

Charter School Facility Incubators

July 1, 2019
Public Impact takes a look at the design and operation of Building Pathways, a Washington, D.C.-based charter school facility incubator that has provided short- and long-term space to more than 26 charter schools since its inception in 2006.

State Policy Analysis: Per Pupil Facility Funding

July 1, 2019
Direct funding for facilities is limited and does not come close to meeting the charter sector’s facility needs. Unlike district schools, charter schools typically do not receive funding that is sufficient to cover more than their operating costs and must pay for facilities costs out of their operating budgets – meaning money that should be going into the classroom is instead paying for the classroom.

Moral Obligations – Lowering the Cost of Capital

June 24, 2019
High Impact Financial Analysis investigates moral obligation bonds as more schools than ever are accessing the bond market to finance their next school building.

Moral Obligations – Utah and Colorado Examples

June 1, 2017
Building Hope explores the use of moral obligations for charter school facilities, and outlines Utah and Colorado’s active Moral Obligation programs for charter schools.