Cambridge, MA – The Schott Foundation is proud to announce the awardees of its Girls Equity grant program. These grants, targeted at local and state organizations in both New York and Massachusetts, will support efforts to ensure that female students of color have a fair and substantive opportunity to learn.

In the past eight years, Schott has engaged in a significant body of work on the crisis facing Black males. With these grants, Schott will complement that work and continue strengthening its gender equity efforts which it began more than a decade ago.

Dr. John H. Jackson, President & CEO of the Schott Foundation, applauded the chosen grantees. “While girls of color are performing marginally better than their male counterparts, the numbers are clear that we have a long way to go. These Girls Equity grantees will be pursuing innovative and effective strategies to close the opportunity gap between girls of color and their classmates.”

Below are the grantee organizations:

• African American Policy Forum (New York)
• Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) (New York)
• Girls for Gender Equity (New York)
• Girls Inc. (New York)
• Girls Initiative (Massachusetts)
• Make the Road New York
• Sociedad Latina (Massachusetts)
• Teen Voices (Massachusetts)

Dr. Cassie Schwerner, Senior Vice President of Programs, said, “We look forward to seeing the strong, ambitious work these organizations have laid out: to break what has too often been for girls of color a pipeline of school-to-low-wage-work, or, as with their male counterparts, the school-to-prison pipeline.”

Schwerner added, “We applaud these terrific organizations that are making a real difference in the lives of girls and young women of color.”