Smart Assets: The Philanthropy New York Blog

On February 4th, Philanthropy New York hosted a members briefing (presented by the Altman Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, and The New York Community Trust, with the New York City Youth Funders Network) that explored how funders can better coordinate and support access to high-quality summer learning programs in New York City. We are pleased to have the program’s moderator, Ron Fairchild, Founding CEO of the National Summer Learning Association, share his thoughts with Smart Assets.

For decades, driven by research that shows the devastating effects of summer learning loss, private philanthropy has funded relatively small-scale programs run by nonprofits and other entities designed to expand summer learning opportunities for low-income youth. In most major U.S. cities, it’s not difficult to find a small number of comprehensive, high-quality summer programs that use philanthropic support to provide disadvantaged youth with a mixture of academic enrichment and recreation during the summer months. Such programs often partner with public schools, but generally exist outside the formal structures and funding streams of large urban districts and other public agencies, which constrains efforts to bring comprehensive programs to scale.
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