The Charles Hayden Foundation seeks to promote the mental, moral and physical development of children and youth ages five to eighteen in the metropolitan area of New York and the City of Boston. Our focus is on those institutions and programs serving youth most at risk of not reaching their full potential, especially youth in low-income communities.

Program Support grants are focused on efforts to help youth develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in school and lay the foundation for satisfying and productive lives. Priority is given to programs that demonstrate caring, consistent, long-term relationships between youth and youth agency staff.

Priority is given to programs in New York City and the city of Boston that:

• Improve and expand community-based programs offering economically disadvantaged school-aged youth educational, social, and recreational opportunities in the non-school hours (after-school, evenings, weekends and summers).
• Support schools with a demonstrated ability to graduate economically disadvantaged students who subsequently attend and are equipped to suceed in high performing high schools, colleges, and universities. The Foundation’s focus include charter schools in existence for at least two full operating years in New York City; Boston, Massachusetts; and Newark, New Jersey. In addition, the Foundation provides support to independent and parochial schools for improving educational programs at individual schools that predominately serve economically disadvantaged students.

Capital Support The Foundation provides “bricks and mortar” funding for renovation, expansion, construction, and acquisition of physical facilities and purchase and repair of non-expendable equipment. Emphasis is on assisting those organizations in need of better physical facilities to improve the availability and quality of programs for young people. Given the current economic climate, the Foundation will not be making capital grants during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009.