The foundation was established by Jeb Bush, shortly after his tenure as Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007.

[3][4] The education reform policies suggested by the foundation have influenced Mitch Daniels, the former Republican Governor of Indiana, now President of Purdue University.

[5] Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice served as its Chairman beginning in January 2015.

[6][7] Currently, former Governor Jeb Bush serves as Chairman and former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor serves as Vice Chairman.

[8] It has received donations from Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Eli Broad, as well as Connections Education, a subsidiary of Pearson PLC, and Amplify, a subsidiary of NewsCorp.