The New York Life Foundation's Aim High Grant Program:

Supporting Out-of-School Time 

Programs Serving Middle School Youth 

The New York Life Foundation created the Aim High grant program to equip afterschool, summer and expanded learning programs with the resources needed to help middle school students make a strong transition to high school. 

In 2026, the Aim High Grant competition awarded 40 grants totaling $800,000 in the form of general operating funds to exemplary programs with a proven track record of helping middle school youth transition to high school on time and prepared to thrive.

2026 Aim High grant winners:

The following 40 organizations were awarded one-year grants of $20,000 to help students transition to the 9th grade:

• Camp Catanese Foundation, Phoenix, Arizona
• BOSS, Inc., Long Beach, California
• Breakthrough Silicon Valley, San Jose, California
• Mission Graduates, San Francisco, California
• The "I Have A Dream" Foundation of Boulder County, Boulder, Colorado
• Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership, Inc. (LEAP), New Haven, Connecticut
• Norwalk/Stamford Grassroots Tennis and Education, Inc. (NSGTE), Norwalk, Connecticut
• West End Neighborhood House, Wilmington, Delaware
• Beacon House Community Ministry Inc., Washington, District of Columbia
• Little Lights Urban Ministries, Washington, District of Columbia
• Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), Washington, District of Columbia
• Club Esteem, Inc, Melbourne, Florida
• Metropolitan Ministries, Inc., Tampa, Florida
• Young Musicians Unite, Miami, Florida
• Upriver Youth Leadership Council (UYLC), Kamiah, Idaho
• Chicago Youth Programs, Chicago, Illinois
• Erie Neighborhood House, Chicago, Illinois
• The Community House, Hinsdale, Illinois
• My Place Teen Center, Inc., Westbrook, Maine
• MTM Foundation, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland
• Bigfork ACES, Bigfork, Montana
• Give Chances, Palisades Park, New Jersey
• New Jersey Community Development Corporation, Paterson, New Jersey
• Girls Inc. of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Buffalo Prep, Inc., Buffalo, New York
• East Harlem Tutorial Program, Inc. (EHTP), New York, New York
• Figure Skating in Harlem, New York, New York
• Rosie's Theater Kids, New York, New York
• Dream Center Academy, Inc, Gastonia, North Carolina
• Operation Xcel, Stokesdale, North Carolina
• Student U, Durham, North Carolina
• YMCA of Western North Carolina, Inc., Asheville, North Carolina
• Esperanza. Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
• Girls Incorporated of Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Moves and Grooves Inc., Nashville, Tennessee
• Refugee Empowerment Program, Memphis, Tennessee
• Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary, East Barre, Vermont
• Walk In It Inc., Suffolk, Virginia
• Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, Toppenish, Washington
• United Community Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Research shows that for disadvantaged students, more learning time in the form of high-quality afterschool, expanded-day, and summer programs leads to greater achievement, better school attendance, and more engaged students. 

Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided more than $490 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. To learn more about the New York Life Foundation, visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.

Read about previous award recipients: 

• Culturally responsive STEM programming: Aim High awardee Geeking Out Kids of Color
• Songwriting & social justice: Youth voices for change
• Building peer-to-peer relationships and taking "safe risks": Project Morry
• "I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world": An interview with Girls Empowerment Network
• An interview with The Wooden Floor, a New York Life Foundation Aim High grantee
• Expanding possibilities for students with The Wooden Floor, a New York Life Foundation Aim High grantee
• Prioritizing youth voice in COVID-19 recovery strategies: An interview with Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation

Why Middle School?

A large body of evidence indicates the critical role of middle school in determining a young person’s long-term academic trajectory. Enriching out-of-school time (OST) programs—such as afterschool and summer learning programs—are an effective means of helping middle school students successfully transition from 8th to 9th grade. In addition, these programs provide benefits to students that extend beyond academics, helping develop the whole young person—cognitively, socially, and emotionally. The New York Life Foundation’s educational enhancement grantmaking strategy aims to help students in middle school thrive and become better prepared to complete high school and go on to college, providing them a brighter future.


Why was the Aim High Program created?

The New York Life Foundation created the Aim High grant program to support the ability of local community-based afterschool and summer learning programs to provide the foundational skills and guidance that middle school students need to be prepared for the critical transition into high school.