Approach

America’s Promise Alliance

Problem: The mental health crisis among underserved youth is only getting worse with both schools lacking sufficient mental health programs and non-profits remaining siloed in their response to this challenge....

College Advisors – Goddard Riverside Options Institute

Problem: Low-income youth suffer most when they are denied access to high-quality college counseling. Although there are hundreds of master’s programs in school counseling, many provide only limited training in...

College Enrollment and Stop Out Crisis

Problem: There has been a massive drop in undergraduate enrollments and degree completion, particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations in recent years. Less than 25% of students entering community colleges...

CUNY Completion Grants

Problem: CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS) serves more than 4,700 degree-seeking students and has one of the most successful online degree programs nationally. Students attending this and other CUNY...

FAFSA Completion

Problem: During the COVID‑19 pandemic, FAFSA completion rates dropped significantly, particularly among low‑income students. From 2019 to 2021, there were over a quarter‑million fewer FAFSA submissions than expected. If a...

The Common Application

Problem: As many as half of all low-income students do not apply to or attend selective institutions to which they appear to be admissible (based on their academic record) because,...

Combating Antisemitism

Problem: The October 7, 2023 massacre by the terrorist group Hamas has led to a dramatic rise and resurgence of antisemitism in New York and throughout the United States. Supporters...

COVID-19 Emergency Grants

Problem: The COVID-19 pandemic presented our grantees with the immediate challenge of migrating in-person programs online, and with financial and planning emergencies. Solution: We applied our venture philanthropy approach when...

Brooklyn Public Library – Library Fines

Problem: We uncovered the facts surrounding New York City’s library fines, a complex and systemic issue that disproportionately affects thousands of young people from low-income communities. We uncovered that over...

Health Information Project (HIP)

Problem: The mental health crisis among underserved youth is only getting worse with both schools lacking sufficient mental health programs and non-profits remaining siloed in their response to this challenge....

NYC High School Application Guide

Problem: Choosing a high school in New York City can be a daunting task, with more than 700 programs to choose from in 400-plus schools. Each year, nearly 80,000 middle...

Teaching Matters

Problem: Middle school students face challenges in math due to foundational gaps, abstract concepts, and increased complexity in word problems. Solution: We funded Teaching Matter’s response to learning losses in...

The Education Trust

Problem: One of the best ways to measure the quality of an individual high school is to look at whether its graduates matriculate to and then graduate from college. But...

Literacy Academy Collective

Problem: New York City lacks not only adequate dyslexia and learning differences diagnosis methods but also teacher training, curricula, and public-school options for students with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities. Solution: We...

Reading Science Microcredential

Problem: For decades, New York’s teacher preparation programs overwhelmingly trained educators in “balanced literacy” – an approach that encourages children to guess at words rather than decode them. Research has repeatedly...