Tiger Foundation currently gives funding consideration to programs in New York City in three main areas: education, job training, and social services/youth development (which includes the support of early childhood (ages 0-3) and family support programs). In addition to the guidelines below, please make sure to read the “What We Look for” section of this website, which outlines several Tiger Foundation evaluation hallmarks that are applied to our consideration of requests in all program areas.

• Education
• Job Training
• Social Services & Youth Development

For decades, the New York City public school system has struggled to provide low-income students with educational opportunities sufficient to prepare them for success in college and in life. Those born into poor families, and into communities lacking resources and educational options, are often left behind. With high school graduation rates hovering between 50%-60% (lower for boys and students of color) Tiger Foundation is committed to improving the public school system and to providing a high quality education to all students in New York City. We seek to do this in the following ways:

• Investing significantly in the development and growth of charter schools, believing that such public school options are an important contributor to the improvement of the system and a strong vehicle for broader reform
• Assisting model public schools and intermediary organizations working to build high-quality education options
• Providing targeted professional development and school leadership support to help teachers and administrators increase the quality of instruction
• Supporting alternative model programs within the Department of Education's Multiple Pathways to Graduation program
• Investing in academic enrichment programs and social and emotional interventions that seek to transform schools into more productive learning environments

When we fund enrichment activities, such programs are offered by community-based organizations, rather than by the public schools themselves. We do not support pure summer interventions or school-day curricular enhancements. As a complement to our efforts to inspire systemic change of the city's public schools, we also fund a number of independent schools providing attractive educational options for poor families.

Across the portfolio, ALL programs must document concrete outcomes showing improved academic performance (as measured by state test scores and other quantitative and qualitative assessments) and other defined metrics of success, such as graduation rates, attendance, student and teacher retention/attrition, attitudes towards school, and further community and social involvement.