Jacob Adams, founder of Inner Spark Learning Lab, winner of the 2026 California Nonprofit of the Year award, was a rebel of sorts in elementary school.
“I knew I had to do my work. I knew I had to learn, but after I did my work, I would usually talk or play and get in trouble,” he revealed. “I feel like I’ve always had a contentious relationship with school.”
For Adams, education was never fun. He never got to ask the questions he really cared about. Instead of veering away from the field, Adams steered straight toward it. After college, he signed up for Teach for America and eventually created and launched his own nonprofit, Inner Spark Learning Lab: Teaching Black and Brown students to design the world they want to live in. His model is based on three words: listen, learn, adapt. . . .
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Jessica Koslow 