$1.8M awarded to middle school out-of-school time programs

The New York Life Foundation and the Afterschool Alliance are pleased to announce the 2023 Aim High grant recipients. Now in its seventh year, the Aim High grant has provided a total of $9.75 million dollars to afterschool, summer and expanded learning programs that help middle school students prepare for a successful transition to high school. In all, $1.8 million in grants were awarded to 40 youth development organizations across the country.

The Aim High grant program is part of the New York Life Foundation’s ongoing investment in OST programs to help middle school youth in under-resourced communities reach the 9th grade on time and better prepared for high school. Awardees were selected based on their ability to help youth transition successfully to ninth grade by providing opportunities that support students’ well-being, academic growth, and development of life and work skills.

Of the 40 grant awards, 10 are aimed specifically at supporting students’ well-being, which has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. An additional ten grants focus on supporting social justice and racial equity efforts in out-of-school-time programs.  The New York Life Foundation recognizes that it’s imperative to build on their ongoing commitment to support an equal and just society. The remaining 20 grants help programs expand or better serve youth in the transition to high school.

2023 Aim High Grant Winners

Ten (10) organizations were awarded one-year grants of $15,000 to support students’ well-being:

• City Surf Project, San Francisco, California
• Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County, Fort Pierce, Florida
• Youth & Opportunity United, Evanston, Illinois
• New City Kids, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Girls Inc. of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Student U, Durham, North Carolina
• Boys & Girls Club of Wake County, Raleigh, North Carolina
• UpSpring, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association, Cleveland, Ohio
• Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach, El Paso, Texas

Ten (10) organizations were awarded one-year grants of $15,000 to advance racial and social justice issues:

• Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, California
• One World Education, Washington, DC
• Swaliga Foundation, Washington, DC
• The Treehouse Foundation, Easthampton, Massachusetts
• Girls Inc. of Long Island, Deer Park, New York
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County, Warm Springs, Oregon
• Centro Hispano de East Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
• Hattiloo Theatre, Memphis, Tennessee
• Girls Empowerment Network, Austin, Texas
• Workshop Houston, Houston, Texas

Ten (10) organizations were awarded grants of $50,000 to be paid over two years:

• Rising Youth Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona
• Uncommon Good, Claremont, California
• Raw Art Works, Lynn, Massachusetts
• Elevate Navajo, Ft. Defiance, Navajo Nation (Arizona and New Mexico)
• Horizons New York City, Brooklyn, New York
• Operation Exodus Inner City, Inc., New York, New York
• South Bronx United, Bronx, New York
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland County, Shelby, North Carolina
• East Cleveland Neighborhood Center, East Cleveland, Ohio
• Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary, East Barre, Vermont

Ten (10) organizations were awarded grants of $100,000 to be paid over two years:

• Lawrence CommunityWorks, Inc., Lawrence, Massachusetts
• Sociedad Latina, Roxbury, Massachusetts
• Coaching for Change, Taunton, Massachusetts
• Reel Works, Brooklyn, New York
• Korean American Family Service Center, Flushing, New York
• ourBRIDGE, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Refugee Empowerment Program, Memphis, Tennessee
• Breakthrough Central Texas, Austin, Texas
• YWCA San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
• C5 Texas, Dallas, Texas

Congratulations to the 2023 New York Life Aim High recipients!

Since 2013, the New York Life Foundation has invested over $77 million in grants that assist out-of-school-time programs that serve middle school students and help them make a successful transition to ninth grade; preparing them for success in high school and in life. To learn more about the New York Life Foundation, or the Aim High grant, visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org, or email us at aimhigh@afterschoolalliance.org.