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New York Life Foundation Awards $15,000 Grant to Family & Children’s Place Afterschool Program in Louisville to Support Middle School Students’ Transition to 9th Grade

 Award is One of 26 New Aim High Grants Nationally, Totaling $1.35 Million

The New York Life Foundation and the Afterschool Alliance today announced a $15,000 grant award to Family & Children’s Place in Louisville for its Collaborative Learning After School Program. In 2018, a total of $1.35 million in grants will be awarded to a total of 34 youth development organizations across the country to support middle school youth during the out-of-school time (OST) hours. New this year, 26 OST programs won grants and eight organizations received continuing grants announced in 2017. These programs serve disadvantaged youth in 17 states and the District of Columbia. The grants mark the second year of awards made under the Foundation’s Aim High education initiative. Responding to strong demand in the first year of the program, the New York Life Foundation increased funding for the second year of the program from $750,000 to $1.35 million, and awarded an additional eight grants.

Aim High is part of the New York Life Foundation’s ongoing investment in OST programs to help underserved 8th-graders reach the 9th grade on time and prepared for high school level work. In consultation with the Afterschool Alliance, grants were awarded to afterschool, summer and expanded learning programs through a competitive application process.

Funding from the New York Life Aim High Grant will be used to hire additional staff to better accommodate needed services for youth with disabilities. The agency’s Collaborative Learning After School Program (CLASP) is accredited by the Council on Accreditation, which requires a maximum staff to youth ratio of 1:15. CLASP is currently at full capacity with a waiting list of families.

“Aim High grantees provide important youth development programs in their communities,” said Marlyn Torres, senior program officer, New York Life Foundation. “OST programs help middle school youth develop critical social and emotional skills and keeps them engaged in school, which in turn leads to better academic outcomes. The programs receiving grants will help children make the all- important transition from middle school to high school, and to succeed once they get there. We value the Afterschool Alliance’s considerable expertise and their broad-based network of afterschool providers, educators and youth development experts.”

“The support of the New York Life Foundation will be life-changing for children in our community,” said Pam Darnall, president and CEO of Family & Children’s Place. “We’re deeply appreciative and look forward to putting this generous support to good use serving youth and families.”

Ten of this year’s grants go to help programs better serve youth with disabilities or other special needs, in addition to the overall focus on the transition to 9th grade. The grant to Family & Children’s Place is one of these ten grants. The Foundation added this element to the grant program in 2018 in response to the demonstrated needs of grant applicants last year. The grants support programs inclusive of youth with and without disabilities, and programs primarily serving youth with disabilities or special needs.

In addition, in response to unusually strong demand in the first year of the program, the New York Life Foundation elected to increase total funding for the second year of the program from $750,000 in 2017 to $1.35 million in 2018, and to award an additional eight grants. This year’s Aim High grants bring the total amount awarded to $2.1 million.

The following 10 organizations are being awarded $15,000 grants over a one-year period to serve students with disabilities or special needs:

• Boys & Girls Club of North Alabama, Huntsville, AL
• Community Works of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA
• Eleven 21, Inc., Hebron, MD
• Family & Children’s Place, New Albany, IN
• Girls on the Run New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
• Jubilee Park & Community Center, Dallas, TX
• LAUNCH, East Syracuse, NY
• Phipps Neighborhoods, Inc., New York, NY
• Project Create, Washington, DC
• Spring Initiative, Clarksdale, MS

The following eight organizations are being awarded two-year grants totaling $50,000 for program enhancement and/or expansion:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Truckee Meadows, Reno, NV
• Code in the Schools, Baltimore, MD
• Community Action Network, Ann Arbor, MI
• Delaware Futures, Inc., Wilmington, DE
• Improve Your Tomorrow, Sacramento, CA
• Instituto del Progreso Latino, Chicago, IL
• Native American Community Academy Foundation, Albuquerque, NM
• Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, Detroit, MI

The following eight organizations have been awarded two-year grants totaling $100,000 for program enhancement and/or expansion:

• Adelante Mujeres, Forest Grove, OR
• Afterschool All-Stars – Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
• Breakthrough Greater Boston, Boston, MA
• Harlem Lacrosse & Leadership, Baltimore, MD
• Providence After School Alliance, Providence, RI
• Safe Passages, Oakland, CA
• The Wooden Floor Youth Movement, Santa Ana, CA
• Youth and Opportunity United, Evanston, IL

“We’re proud to have partnered with the New York Life Foundation in this effort, and we commend the Foundation for its deep and long-ranging commitment to supporting youth and families in out-of- school time programs,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “These grants will change young lives, allowing afterschool and summer learning programs to do what they do best: keeping kids safe, inspiring learning, and giving families peace of mind.”

The recipients of two-year grants were chosen on the strength of their support for youth in the transition to the ninth grade, specifically around such indicators of success as on-time promotion; school attendance rates; improved behavior, grades and test scores; and/or the development of social and emotional skills.

Research has shown that for disadvantaged students, more learning time in the form of high-quality afterschool, expanded-day and summer programs leads to greater academic achievement, better school attendance and more engaged students.

Since 2013, the New York Life Foundation has invested more than $25 million in national middle school OST efforts, supporting organizations that provide nearly 500,000 middle school youth with afterschool and summer programming. Foundation grants have supported an additional 6 million hours of OST programming.

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About the Afterschool Alliance
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs. More information is available at www.AfterschoolAlliance.org.

About the New York Life Foundation
Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided more than $250 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement and childhood bereavement. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees and agents of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good program. To learn more, please visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.