Guidelines
The Charles Hayden Foundation supports organizations and schools serving young people in New York City and Boston, and in some cases Newark, New Jersey. The Foundation may also support programs operating outside these areas when a substantial majority of the young people served come from within our defined geographic areas.
The Foundation seeks to support organizations, schools, programs, and initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for young people and demonstrate a commitment to positive and measurable outcomes. We look for grantee partners that understand the needs and strengths of the young people and communities they serve, have clearly defined goals, and use data and other evidence to understand their progress and strengthen their work.
Our grantmaking supports opportunities that help young people build the knowledge, skills, experiences, and support systems they need to thrive in school, work, and life. Depending on the nature of the work, outcomes may include academic progress, social-emotional growth, post-secondary success, career preparation and advancement, and other indicators of long-term success.
What Guides Our Grantmaking
The Foundation seeks to support organizations, schools, programs, and initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for young people and demonstrate a commitment to achieving positive and measurable outcomes. In considering funding opportunities, we look at several factors:
Mission and Strategic Alignment
The organization’s work and the proposed use of funds align with the Foundation’s mission, geographic focus, populations served, and grantmaking priorities.
Leadership and Organizational Strength
The organization or school has effective leadership, engaged governance, clear goals, and the staff expertise and capacity necessary to carry out its work successfully.
Program Need, Quality, and Design
The work responds to a meaningful need or opportunity and has a clear approach, defined goals, and thoughtful strategies for achieving them.
Outcomes and Learning
The organization has clearly defined outcomes, demonstrates progress toward its goals, and uses data and other evidence to understand results and strengthen its work.
Financial Health and Sustainability
The organization demonstrates sound financial management, an appropriate and sustainable funding base, and the capacity to responsibly manage Foundation support.
Use of Foundation Funding
There is a clear purpose for Foundation support and an understanding of how the funding will contribute to stronger programs, organizational effectiveness, or improved outcomes for young people.
Community Engagement and Partnerships
Where relevant, organizations demonstrate meaningful engagement with young people, families, schools, employers, and community partners and build relationships that strengthen their work.
These considerations guide our review but are not intended to serve as a checklist. Funding decisions also take into account available resources and the Foundation’s overall grantmaking portfolio.
Strengthening Organizations
The Foundation supports organizations and schools that create meaningful opportunities for young people, recognizing that strong institutions are essential to achieving lasting outcomes for the young people and communities they serve.
What We Consider
Youth-Serving Programs
For programs providing direct services and opportunities to young people, the Foundation looks for:
- High-quality educational, enrichment, and skill-building experiences that respond to the needs and interests of young people.
- Caring, consistent relationships between young people and the adults who support them.
- Opportunities for young people to develop academic, social, emotional, and practical skills.
- Support that helps young people explore and pursue post-secondary education and meaningful career pathways.
- Clearly defined goals and an approach to measuring progress and outcomes.
- Evidence that programs are reaching and meaningfully engaging the young people they are intended to serve.
Schools
The Foundation supports public district, charter, Catholic, and independent schools that primarily serve young people from low-income communities and demonstrate a commitment to strong student outcomes and preparation for post-secondary success.
For school-based funding, the Foundation looks for:
- High expectations for students and a rigorous educational program that builds strong academic skills and prepares students for future educational opportunities.
- Evidence of student academic progress and achievement.
- Meaningful engagement of families in students’ education.
- Partnerships with organizations and other resources that enhance student learning and development.
- Academic, college, and career advising and other supports that help students successfully transition to post-secondary education and career pathways.
- A demonstrated ability to track student progress and outcomes.
Schools must also have an established track record of operation and student outcomes:
- Schools serving grades 6–8: The school must have been in operation long enough for at least one cohort of students to progress from sixth through eighth grade, with eighth-grade state assessment and high school placement data available.
- Schools serving grades 9–12: At least one year of graduation and post-secondary matriculation data must be available.
- Catholic and independent schools: Tuition may not exceed $12,000 per year.
Building Long-Term Partnerships
The Foundation values trusted, collaborative relationships with grantee partners and seeks to be responsive to their evolving needs and opportunities.
The Foundation Does Not Fund
The Foundation’s grantmaking is focused on programs that directly advance our mission and funding priorities. While we support a broad range of youth-serving organizations, schools, and institutions, some funding requests are generally outside the scope of our grantmaking. The following limitations apply:
- Capital projects
- Grants to individuals
- Endowments
- Religious or theological activities. Religiously affiliated organizations may be considered for programs that serve the broader community and align with the Foundation’s funding priorities.
- Institutions of higher education, except for pre-college programs and other youth-focused initiatives that align with the Foundation’s funding priorities.
- Hospitals and healthcare institutions for general medical care or services. The Foundation may support youth-focused programs provided by hospitals, mental health clinics, and other healthcare organizations when the work aligns with the Foundation’s funding priorities, including social-emotional development and well-being, post-secondary readiness, and career-connected learning.
- Arts and cultural activities that do not have a defined youth-development purpose. The Foundation may support arts and cultural programs that use exposure to and participation in the arts to promote social-emotional development, leadership and skill building, post-secondary readiness, career-connected learning, and other positive outcomes for young people.