New York, NY / January 12, 2026 – Children’s Aid has been awarded a two-year, $1.25 million grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York to expand its College and Career Success program across its five community centers located in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. This investment will strengthen and scale services that prepare young people for postsecondary education and long-term career success.
“Community centers are the backbone of opportunity in many neighborhoods – they are trusted, accessible spaces where young people build relationships, discover their strengths, and receive consistent support over time,” said Phoebe C. Boyer, President and CEO of Children’s Aid. “With the support of Carnegie Corporation of New York, we can build on the power of our community centers to deliver proven college and career strategies and ensure more young people across New York City have a real pathway to succeed beyond high school.”
Over the next two years, Children’s Aid will implement a comprehensive College and Career Success model across all five community centers, reaching 1,250 middle- and high school-aged young people from low-income communities. The cohort-based model provides intensive academic advising, college access support, career exploration, and ongoing guidance designed to increase college persistence and expand postsecondary and career opportunities.
“Access to high-quality college and career preparation is essential for young people navigating an increasingly complex education and workforce landscape,” said Saskia Levy Thompson, a program director of Education at Carnegie Corporation of New York. “Children’s Aid has demonstrated strong outcomes in supporting students not only in getting to college, but in persisting once they arrive. We are proud to support the expansion of this model so more students across New York City can build meaningful pathways to higher education and long-term economic mobility.”
The College and Career Success program model has already shown strong results in Children’s Aid community high schools. During the 2023-24 school year, 95% of graduating participants who applied to college were accepted, and 87% persisted into the following spring.
Children’s Aid community centers are critical neighborhood anchors, offering a wide range of services – including academic enrichment, fitness and recreation, arts and STEM programming, and college and career readiness – that support young people consistently over time and address the full range of factors that shape long-term success.
To learn more about Children’s Aid, visit https://www.childrensaidnyc.org/.
To learn more about Carnegie Corporation of New York, visit https://www.carnegie.org/.
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About Children’s Aid
Children’s Aid is committed to ensuring that there are no boundaries to the aspirations of young people, no limits to their potential. After nearly 200 years of serving New York City’s children, youth, and their families, we know what it takes to ensure children and youth grow up strong and healthy and ready to thrive in school and life: excellent education and health care, social-emotional support, and strong stable families. Today, we serve nearly 50,000 children, youth, and their families in New York City.
About Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. Today the foundation works to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for the issues that Carnegie considered most important: education, democracy, and peace.