Search Nonprofits

DreamYard is committed to helping transform Bronx schools and communities through the power of innovative, project based arts education. Our schools and students are based in the nation's poorest urban county, with one-third of the Bronx's residents living below the poverty line. In response, DreamYard programs are designed to challenge the cyclical systems of inequality and poverty by empowering youth to discover and develop their best possible selves and to locate meaningful paths and ways to engage with their fellow students, schools, families, and communities. As the largest arts education provider in the Bronx, DreamYard critically impacts the social and intellectual growth of thousands of Bronx youth through safe, positive and creatively challenging programs. DreamYard's team of professional artists partner with classroom teachers and community educators to help students learn how to express, write and perform their own stories. Through year-long programs offered during the school day, after school, on weekends and during the summer, DreamYard supports youth development, enhances life-long learning skills, and promotes creative thinking and expression. DreamYard artists spark an interest in education that often lies latent in our youth. The organization understands that it is imperative to direct a young person's creativity toward positive goals as we strive to develop well-rounded and engaged citizens. Through DreamYard, young people believe that they can have an impact and change their communities and society as a whole. Its projects are catalysts that help teachers and communities propel students and their families into a life-long learning process.

Established in 1982, the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF) seeks to enable the Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD) to provide an exceptional education to students at Laurel, Encinal, Oak Knoll, and Hillview schools. Working with parents, local businesses, community members, and the District, we raise money to pay for high-quality teachers, a comprehensive educational program, and teaching innovation beyond what is possible with public dollars alone. The Foundation is committed to conducting its fundraising in a manner that enhances a positive sense of community, fosters cooperation among all District organizations, and increases awareness of the need for private funds for public education. Our Annual Parent Campaign happens in the fall and supports the district with essential funding. There is also the MPAEF Endowment for Excellence in Teaching, a permanent self-sustaining fund managed by an investment committee of parent volunteers, which was founded in 2003. In addition we have programs for business and community giving. Anyone can support our kids, educators, and schools by giving to the Foundation and also by getting involved. We thank all of the parents, family members, teachers, staff, businesses, and community members who have done so this year—and over the past three decades! The MPAEF is a California non-profit, public benefit corporation. It is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the US Internal Revenue Code. Our Federal Tax I.D. number is 94-2871701. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.

Potomac Crescent Waldorf school is devoted to educating children according Rudolf Steiner's insights and pedagogy. We educate the whole child: head, heart, and hands. The individual child is at the center of all we do. In the pre-school we prepare the child for schoolwork by encouraging healthy play. In the grade school, our teachers aim to allow each child to grow gradually and naturally into the subjects they study, because then they will love what they learn. Committed to serve and reflect our locality of Northern Virginia near the District of Columbia, the faculty work together as colleagues to allow the Waldorf approach to provide each child with a future-oriented education, in which lasting capacities and skills will serve the student for life.

The Horace Mann School was founded in 1887 as a co-educational experimental and developmental unit of Columbia University's Teachers College. It became financially and administratively independent in 1946, and now is a co-educational college preparatory day school enrolling students in nursery through twelfth grade. Horace Mann seeks to educate and nurture its students and to help them fulfill their potential. To attain this goal, the School provides a challenging and rigorous set of academic and extracurricular programs within a caring and supportive environment. Students are encouraged to test and learn about themselves, to develop a concern for others and to grow intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. The School encourages students to understand that learning is a lifelong endeavor that is valuable in itself.

American Friends of Maru a Pula, Inc., or AFMAP, serves as a support organization for MAP in this country. American "friends" include past MAP teachers, students, former workers in Botswana and others interested in encouraging fine education in southern Africa. Founded in 1972, Maru-a-Pula is an independent, non-profit secondary school established as a non-racial institution rooted in Botswana. Maru-a-Pula offers a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for entry to highly selective universities and to pursue challenging careers. Through programs emphasizing self-discipline and community service, each student learns personal and social responsibility. Maru-a-Pula encourages its students to exercise leadership that is compassionate, democratic and tolerant.

Darrow School, founded in 1932 on the site of the original Shaker community, is a boarding and day school for grades 9-12 offering a comprehensive, hands-on, college-preparatory curriculum in a supportive environment. A 5-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio allows for a high level of individual attention, and an average class size of nine students affords all students the opportunity to actively participate in the learning process. At Darrow School, we are dedicated to serving students with diverse backgrounds and abilities, building on each student's individual talents and interests to inspire enduring confidence for success in college and life. Darrow is distinctive among independent schools because of its integration of sustainability themes across the curriculum and the belief that learning can happen in and out of the classroom.

DCYOP’s mission is to empower young people to transform their lives through music and community. Founded in 1960 by DC Public School teacher Lyn McLain, DCYOP has been an integral part of the Washington, DC community, fostering the musical and academic development of more than 60,000 youth. The first youth orchestra to perform at the Kennedy Center, DCYOP has toured 23 countries, played for U.S. presidents and diplomats, and worked with world-renowned musicians including Aaron Copland, Lorin Maazel, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gustavo Dudamel, Joshua Bell, and Yo-Yo Ma. DCYOP has also received the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award and the District of Columbia Mayor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Arts Education.

We believe that education should impact the heart as well as the head. We believe that true education begins and ends with the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that Christ-centered education cannot take place without born-again teachers. We believe that all students deserve access to a quality and Christ-centered education regardless of their income or zip code. We believe that academic excellence honors and glorifies God. We believe that Christ-centered schools should be a place where children are loved and nurtured. We believe God desires to hear and answer the prayers of His people. We believe that God’s grace should characterize the culture of our school. We believe that discipleship is the true essence of teaching.

While serving students from across Rhode Island, Community Preparatory School's primary commitment is to minority and low-income students from Providence.  The school's goal is to help its students succeed in college-preparatory high-school programs and to become community leaders.  Moreover, the school is committed to developing and sharing its vision, programs and resources with the local neighborhood and with the broader educational community.  Community Preparatory School challenges students to become confident, independent learners, encourages respect for the cultural and ethnic identities of its multicultural and economically diverse student body, develops a strong sense of public service in students, and engages parents, students and teachers in goal-setting and planning to ensure academic and social success for each student.

AVID's mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. AVID can transform schools and districts so that students, particularly those students who are first generation college-goers, will be successful in college and a career. AVID believes that the most effective way to help schools is to improve the quality of their teachers’ instruction and school leadership. This builds sustainability, accountability, hope, and positive morale directly into the fabric of a school and ultimately an entire school district. And a marked improvement in a community’s schools creates ripples of benefit for the community. In these trying economic times, it is vital to involve the community in the success of its schools, and AVID is structured and delivered in such a way that the family created in the AVID classroom can be extended to a school, a district and a community of hope for the success of students.

Founded in 2001, Contra Costa Jewish Day School (CCJDS) is an outstanding Kindergarten through 8th grade independent school serving families from all backgrounds. We believe in the whole child approach to learning -- fostering the intellectual, physical and spiritual growth of our students. We are committed to providing our students with extraordinary teachers, small classes, and a vibrant, supportive environment where they develop into a critical thinkers and effective communicators -- and love school! Our students practice the core Jewish values of kindness, community service, justice and respect for others and we integrate community service into the life of our school family in keeping with our Jewish commitment to making the world a better place (tikkun olam). Our strong academic program supports asking questions, connecting ideas and solving problems across all subjects.

For over 30 years, NYC Outward Bound Schools has been transforming schools and changing lives by bringing out the best in students, teachers and school leaders throughout the City. We transform schools and change lives by bringing our educational approach to NYC’s young people and their public schools, with a focus on students from educationally underserved communities. Our uniquely powerful approach joins together demanding and engaging learning with an emphasis on community and character. We prepare students for success in college, careers, and citizenship, while simultaneously working to redefine what educational excellence looks like in New York City’s public schools. Every day, we are proving that all students, regardless of background or circumstance, are capable of achieving at high levels and that transformation and innovation can happen within the public school system.