We have been a leader in funding alternative education initiatives, including charter networks such as the ones listed below and many individual charter schools in New York City and New York State. A 2023 study by Stanford University found that across New York State, charter students receive the equivalent of 75 extra days of growth in reading, and 73 extra days in math, compared with demographically similar students at district schools. The Study included over 80 percent of tested public-school students in the US. Students at one of our grantees, Success Academy, achieved a staggering 206 additional days of learning in math and 107 days in reading compared to surrounding traditional public-school peers.
Independently, Heckscher Foundation CEO Peter Sloane was a founding trustee of the first charter school in New York State, Sisulu Victory Academy.