The Foundation is dedicated to supporting programs that ensure young people, especially from underserved communities, have the opportunity to develop their potential to the fullest. It focuses on critical developmental years, supports families and young people facing significant challenges, including those in foster care and involved in youth justice systems. It emphasizes the importance of caring adult relationships, meaningful work experiences, and engagement in cultural, educational, and enrichment activities, mostly within New York City, recognizing these programs' potential national impact.
The Foundation's grant program is broad and inclusive, supporting a variety of initiatives aimed at young people's academic, social, and emotional development. It emphasizes the importance of supportive adult relationships, effective use of out-of-school time for growth and learning, and fostering resilience and "grit" among young people. The Foundation funds internships, job readiness programs with strong employer ties, inter-generational engagements, and programs connecting youth with cultural institutions and STEM activities. It values hands-on learning, creative role models, and career exploration. Additionally, it's open to funding community-based "laboratory" programs to test new ideas or validate promising theories related to youth development. While it makes a small number of capital grants, these are limited to well-known organizations for projects aligned with the Foundation's mission. It supports innovation and learning from both successes and failures, with a focus on programs in New York City due to its significant impact locally and potentially nationally.
We prefer initiatives that are capable of achieving significant advancements towards their objectives within a timeframe of three years or less. Although there may be occasions where we contemplate extending certain grants beyond this time, our usual stance is not to offer continuous yearly funding for the majority of recipient organizations.