The Network of Geographic Alliances celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2016. The network includes 50+ individual geographic alliances (representing all 50 states plus DC, Chicago, Puerto Rico, and Canada) and has been a vibrant platform for innovation, leadership, and tireless advocacy for geography education. The National Geographic Society has supported the network with funding, coordination, and resource development throughout its 30 year existence, and this has made National Geographic a leading force in K-12 geography education. Now, as National Geographic experiences organizational changes and the availability of increased financial resources for its educational mission, the Society has announced a major shift in its strategy that represents a reinvestment in geography education but at the same time a challenge for the sustainability of the state alliances, including the CGA. 

"For more than 30 years, the National Geographic Society has been dedicated to supporting educators to ensure that the next generation is armed with geographic knowledge and global understanding. Now, we are re-affirming our commitment to geography education and seizing this opportunity to integrate resources and assets and support educators through a highly interactive and integrated community that includes educators, explorers, storytellers, and photographers.  

National Geographic is moving toward a model that will provide full-time National Geographic staff in each of six regions across the country, to better serve and our constituents and leverage our community's expertise. Our commitment to geographic knowledge is unchanged, but we are modernizing our approach and focusing our work."

We are excited to know that educators in our state will have access to new opportunities through this global leader in science, education, and storytelling. There will be more grants and fellowship opportunities for educators, and the National Geographic Educator Certification and National Geographic Bee programs will continue. Please be sure to keep an eye on the National Geographic Education website for more information about these opportunities.

For the CGA, this new strategy also represents a crossroads, as the vast majority of our funding in recent years has come from National Geographic Society through grants and an endowment. The CGA has no funding coming from the state at this time, and we have received only a small amount of external funding from other non-profit foundations and partners over the past three years. Nonetheless, the CGA will remain committed to its mission and to the teachers and students of the state of California.  

We are working now to secure new funding sources and expand partnerships that can sustain our programs, and we have been working with districts and county offices of education to create models that will allow us to sustain and even expand professional development activities. Hopefully we will have more information to share in the coming months, but please know that the CGA continues to be available to partner with schools, districts, and counties to provide support for geography and social science education. We look forward to meeting the challenge presented and emerging into a bright and dynamic future. 

National Geographic announced this change in strategy at the National Council for Geographic Education Annual Meeting in Albuquerque at the end of July. About two weeks later, the Director of the CGA signed, along with 29 other alliance leaders, a letter to National Geographic leadership. The letter expressed support for the expanded efforts to come, but it also notified National Geographic of the intent of many state alliances to continue to operate as independent organizations. We hope that a mechanism can be identified to sustain the network and the benefits of multi-state collaboration, and we welcome any ideas from the CGA membership regarding how the CGA can become a stronger organization moving forward.