City Year AmeriCorps receives second $5 million grant from ECMC Foundation for COVID-19 response

The grant will provide additional supports for students and young adults through education and professional development opportunities.

BOSTON—Today, City Year announced that it received a second $5 million grant from ECMC Foundation that will help City Year AmeriCorps members and the students they serve reach their education and career goals despite the continued impacts of the pandemic.

The second one-year grant will help City Year place AmeriCorps student success coaches in elementary and middle schools in Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Providence, Sacramento, San José, Seattle and Washington, D.C., for the 2021-22 school year. An earlier $5 million grant, announced in September, has supported City Year AmeriCorps during the 2020-21 school year.

The grant will help students stay on track to graduate high school by supplementing their in-school support networks with AmeriCorps members who collaborate full time with classroom teachers. Through ECMC Foundation’s partnership with City Year, at least 230 additional City Year AmeriCorps members will serve in schools, while receiving professional development training and earning scholarships toward their post-service educational goals.

City Year intentionally focuses on systemically under-resourced school districts to address educational inequities that have been magnified by the pandemic. In their role as student success coaches, AmeriCorps members answer students’ questions, provide small group and one-on-one tutoring, and help ensure students are comfortable using digital platforms to access classes and finish assignments. Research shows that more time spent with an AmeriCorps member leads to better student outcomes.

Commenting on the grant, Peter J. Taylor, president of ECMC Foundation, said:

“Through this partnership, the ECMC Foundation and City Year are helping students stay on track to earn their high school diploma, while ensuring AmeriCorps members have the tools necessary to build successful careers after service. Supporting students and young adults is especially important at a time when the pandemic makes the future feel less certain and makes goals like graduating high school or taking the first step toward a career more difficult to reach.”

City Year CEO Jim Balfanz thanked the ECMC Foundation for the grant and for working in partnership with City Year:

“ECMC Foundation and City Year are working together to ensure that the pandemic doesn’t slow down or stop students who are striving to achieve their dreams. Through their role as student success coaches, AmeriCorps members are making it easier for students to feel supported and connected to their school communities during the pandemic. At the same time, these young leaders are gaining experience and skills that will help them throughout their lives.’’  

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About City Year 

City Year helps students and schools succeed, while preparing the next generation of civically engaged leaders who can work across lines of difference. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide support to students, classrooms and the whole school. Schools that partner with City Year are up to two to three times more likely to improve in English and math assessments, and the more time students spend with AmeriCorps members, the more they improve on social, emotional and academic skills— skills that help students thrive in school and contribute to their community.

A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by AmeriCorps, local school districts and private philanthropy. City Year partners with public schools in 29 communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Learn more at cityyear.org or on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About ECMC Foundation 
ECMC Foundation is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation whose mission is to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation’s vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org and ECMC Group by visiting www.ecmcgroup.org.