Beginning with Children Foundation Awarded $1 Million by MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call

Brooklyn, NY – Beginning with Children Foundation (BwCF), a non-profit educational network that serves students from historically under-resourced communities, has received $1 million from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call for its work within the community.

“Over 30 years ago, Carol and Joe Reich founded Beginning with Children on the deep belief in the power of education to transform a child, a family and a community,” said Beginning with Children Foundation CEO Nancy Lewson Kurz. “Starting with one landmark public-private school collaboration in Williamsburg, we’ve now grown to two K-8 schools, a high school and a robust Legacy Network that keeps our students and families connected to maximize growth and opportunity. We’re proud to be recognized by MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call for our efforts and results and are excited to keep doing it for decades to come.”

In March 2023, Yield Giving launched an Open Call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through foundational resources.

The Open Call received 6,353 applications and initially planned for 250 awards of $1 million each. In the Fall of 2023, organizations top-rated by their peers advanced to a second round of review by an external Evaluation Panel recruited for experience relevant to this cause, and underwent a final round of due diligence. In light of the incredible work of these organizations, as judged by their peers and external panelists, the donor team decided to expand the awardee pool and the award amount.

“We are excited that our partnership with Yield Giving has resonated with so many organizations,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. “In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Open Call has given us an opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations that often remain unseen.”

BwCF supports Beginning with Children Charter School 2, Community Partnership Charter School and Community High School. Ninety percent of the students in those schools qualify for free- and reduced-price lunches and come from Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, Brownsville, Williamsburg and other Brooklyn neighborhoods.

In 2003, BwCF established the Legacy Network, aimed to supporting students within our community through the transition from middle school to high school, high school to college, and college to career. The Legacy Network offers free tutoring, college admissions advising, standardized test preparation, financial aid and scholarship support, paid internships, and community fellowship opportunities, along with support throughout students’ academic and professional postsecondary experiences.

For over 30 years, BwCF has equipped students with the skills needed for a life of self-sufficiency and leadership. Students are supported to get to and through college, gaining the knowledge, skills, and experiences to reach back to their communities and create change for the next generation.

For more information on Beginning with Children and these schools, please see www.beginningwithchildren.org.

More information on the Yield Giving Open Call and other initiatives can be found at www.leverforchange.org.

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Beginning with Children Foundation

Beginning with Children Foundation was founded by Joe and Carol Reich, Ph D., on their deep belief in education’s power to transform children, families and communities. Its schools are located in historically under-resourced communities who’s most pressing need is to improve educational outcomes in primary, secondary, and postsecondary pursuits. Our schools and programs provide youth with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to reach back to their communities and create change for the next generation of learners. Education opens doors and allows children to see beyond their challenges. We give every child an equal chance to be well educated in a free public school with excellent resources, from Kindergarten through college.

Yield Giving

Established by MacKenzie Scott to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people, Yield Giving is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control. To date, Yield’s network of staff and advisors has yielded over $16,500,000,000 to 1,900+ non-profit teams to use as they see fit for the benefit of others. To learn more, visit www.yieldgiving.com.

Lever for Change

Lever for Change connects donors with bold solutions to the world’s biggest problems—including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change. Using an inclusive, equitable model and due diligence process, Lever for Change creates customized challenges and other tailored funding opportunities. Top-ranked teams and challenge finalists become members of the Bold Solutions Network—a growing global network that helps secure additional funding, amplify members’ impact, and accelerate social change. Founded in 2019 as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change has influenced over $1.7 billion in grants to date and provided support to more than 145 organizations. To learn more, visit www.leverforchange.org.