Education Grantmaking program

Education Grantmaking program is sponsored by The New York Community Trust. The New York Community Trust's Education Grantmaking program aims to enhance opportunities for underserved students in NYC's public schools.

Education - The New York Community Trust Learn more about how we fund education in New York City. To find out what else we fund, explore our Info for Nonprofits page. Students working on a writing project in the Ready Readers program run by Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation.

Photo by Ari Mintz To ensure that New York City’s public schools provide all students with the opportunity to reach their full potential and to graduate prepared for college and work. The Trust will support projects that focus on system-wide improvements and reforms that advance equity, narrow the opportunity gap, and create safe and supportive learning environments.

In addition, our Early Childhood grants program supports efforts to make high-quality child care for children ages 0-5 more accessible and affordable, including through organizing and advocacy.

Expand opportunities and improve academic outcomes for students who are inadequately served by the city’s public schools for reasons such as poverty, race, disability, lack of English proficiency, and homelessness, with a focus on projects that can be adopted by numerous schools or at the district level.

The Trust will support projects that: Demonstrate programs and instructional approaches that have the potential to meet the learning needs of underserved students, with support from school leadership and/or the Department of Education. Support the adoption of research-informed programs to increase foundational skills in the early and middle grades, such as higher-order reading skills and arithmetic.

Equip educators to use data to monitor student progress and provide and track targeted interventions. Increase access to high-level coursework, Advanced Placement classes, college classes, and early college programs for low-income students of color. Expand emotional and social support as well as academic, college, and career advisement in schools with high numbers of underserved students.

Increase retention of qualified teachers and leaders in high-poverty schools, including educators and leaders of color, through approaches including coaching, peer-to-peer learning, and communities of practice Ensure that all families and students have the necessary information and assistance to navigate the school choice process.

Promote policy advocacy and organizing to ensure that local and state policies affecting the programming, personnel, budget, priorities, and leadership of the city’s public schools account for the needs of all students, particularly those who have historically been inadequately served.

Priority will be given to projects that: Promote the use of high-quality, culturally inclusive approaches and curricula as well as aligned professional growth opportunities for educators. Contribute to safe and supportive school environments and reduce reliance on suspensions and police intervention.

Increase access to technology—including computers, broadband accounts, and the skills necessary for their use—for economically disadvantaged students. Help underserved students and families advocate for school policies that meet their needs. Collect and share data on the state of the system, service gaps, student and parent preferences, and the potential and actual impact of policy choices.

We will support research projects that seek to answer practice and policy questions with implications for high-quality teaching and learning in the city’s public schools, with a focus on inquiries concerning underserved students. Because our focus is on system-wide improvement and reform, The Trust will not fund: Individual public or private schools, or charter schools; or Programs that involve limited numbers of students or schools.

Read the background paper that informed this grantmaking strategy here. Our program directors host regular information sessions for new applicants. Register today!

Teachers College, Columbia University to help retain 50 new teachers from underrepresented backgrounds in the city’s public schools. Alliance for Quality Education to ensure the state provides equitable funding to the city’s schools. to help parents, students, and school administrators work together to address behavioral health issues in 12 Bronx schools.

NYC Outward Bound Schools to help students at 56 public high schools re-engage with their teachers and peers. to support a youth-led campaign for the removal of police and metal detectors from schools. Literacy Academy Collective, Inc. to prepare educators to open schools for students with dyslexia.

To help low-income communities of color press for better internet access Advocates for Children of New York, Inc. to advocate for schools that are safe and effective for immigrants. Internationals Network for Public Schools, Inc. to prepare high schools to meet the needs of newly arrived English language learners. Fund for Public Schools, Inc. to improve reading instruction in city elementary schools.

to help teachers provide small group instruction to struggling readers in kindergarten through second grade. Day Care Council of New York, Inc. to advocate for an early child care system that is financially viable for providers. United Neighborhood Houses of New York, Inc. to help community organizations adjust and respond to changes in New York City’s early childhood system.

New Yorkers United for Child Care to organize parents to advocate for universal childcare for children under five in New York City. District Council 1707 Educational Fund Corporation to train child care workers to serve and advocate for children with disabilities and their families. Curious about what else we fund?

Are you seeking support for the following? Capital and building campaigns General operating support/routine operational expenses Unfortunately, we don’t make grants in these areas. Where will the activities you plan to request support for take place?

Only select National or International if your work falls outside of New York City, Long Island, or Westchester. Select all relevant impact areas to your nonprofit. Details on your impact areas