Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine invest $15 million in City Year’s vision

Long-time supporters’ lifetime giving to the organization reaches $50 million to advance student success and national service

BOSTON (Feb. 16, 2022) – City Year, an education nonprofit serving in systemically under-resourced schools across 29 U.S. cities, is pleased to announce a new $15 million philanthropic investment from long-time champions Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine. This gift brings the Lavines’ lifetime giving to City Year to $50 million.

The Lavines’ gift will help catalyze a new “Framework for the Future,” laying out City Year’s strategic vision to advance educational equity and develop diverse leaders through national service who can work across lines of difference.

The Lavines’ first donation to City Year three decades ago, when they both were graduate students, was $18, a symbolic number in the Jewish faith that represents “luck” or “life.” Their latest gift is the third major investment the Lavines have made in City Year’s long-term impact strategy over the years. In addition to financial support, Jonathan Lavine served on City Year’s National Board of Trustees from 2006 until 2021 and now serves as Chair Emeritus of the organization.

City Year’s plan to expand and deepen impact calls for advancing its direct service work, policy work and systems change innovation.

“Since its founding, City Year has performed a vital role in supporting the educational needs of students. The pandemic has only further highlighted the terrible impact the educational divide is having on our nation’s youth,” said Jonathan Lavine, who serves as Co-Managing Partner of Bain Capital. “City Year AmeriCorps members are lifting up students who need additional support every single day. The organization’s strategic plan will go a long way toward broadening and deepening the impact they are having.”

“We are enormously grateful for the Lavines’ generosity, which has enabled us to dream bigger, maintain a strategic posture and achieve more for our students and AmeriCorps members,” said City Year CEO Jim Balfanz. “Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine are remarkable philanthropists who lead with humility and impact, never losing sight of what’s most important — their deep desire to help young people reach their potential.”

“We believe deeply in the diverse, young leaders in the City Year corps and it’s an honor to be able to support their service and leadership,” said Jeannie Lavine.

“Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine are extraordinary stewards for City Year,” said George Nichols III, Chair of City Year’s National Board of Trustees and President and CEO of The American College of Financial Services. “Their philanthropic legacy over these many years shows us all the power of service to others and of making a gift that is meaningful to each of us.”

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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 U.K. and South Africa. Learn more at www.cityyear.org, City Year’s Facebook page, on Twitter, and LinkedIn.