Education Grantmaking

The New York Community Trust's Education Grantmaking program aims to enhance opportunities for underserved students in NYC's public schools. It supports projects that promote systemic reforms, equity, and safe learning environments. Key areas include improving academic outcomes, increasing access to high-level coursework, and ensuring emotional and social support for students. Priority is given to initiatives that foster culturally inclusive curricula and advocate for policies benefiting all students, particularly those historically underserved. Grants typically cover one year and focus on impactful, scalable projects.

Program goal
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.
Focus Area: Education
Grants are made to:
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.

Eligibility

Most of our competitive grants go to public charities, or groups sponsored by one.
While our focus is on New York, we support some organizations headquartered outside the City.
Grantees (or fiscal agents) should have a board of directors with at least four members, and no more than one paid board member.
We fund programs that promote change in policy or systems, build capacity of organizations, and expand and/or improve direct service
Our general practice is to make grants for one year.

Ineligibility

Because our focus is on system-wide improvement and reform, The Trust will not fund:Individual public or private schools, or charter schools; orPrograms that involve limited numbers of students or schools.