Supporting the Harlem Children's Zone

Building a New State-of-the-Art School in Harlem

The Harlem Children’s Zone held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 6, 2013 to open its new, $100-million, K-12 school building and community center in the heart of the St. Nicholas Houses.

Goldman Sachs Gives made a $20 million multi-year commitment to construct the Promise Academy Charter School, a project of the Harlem Children’s Zone’s (HCZ). The commitment represents the largest private contribution to the new charter school building.

The light-filled, 135,000-square-foot building has 52 classrooms, two libraries, three science labs, two outdoor play areas, a full-size gym/auditorium, two art rooms, a music room, a dance studio, fitness center and locker rooms and a fully equipped kitchen and cafeteria.

The students will have access to a school-based health center offering free medical, dental and mental-health services. The cafeteria will provide freshly made healthy breakfasts and lunches to all students without charge.

Goldman Sachs partners chose to support HCZ through Goldman Sachs Gives because of its unique “cradle-to-college” approach. Funding for the school building was made possible, in part, by a $60 million grant from the New York City Department of Education’s Charter Facilities Matching Grant Program, a $20 million gift from Goldman Sachs Gives and other private supporters.

In addition, Goldman Sachs Gives convened the 21 communities that received grants under President Obama’s Promise Neighborhoods initiative for a two-day Leadership Academy. The Promise Neighborhoods program is the national effort to replicate the success of the Harlem Children’s Zone around the country. In conjunction with Harlem Children’s Zone and Policy Link’s Promise Neighborhood Institute, project managers, CEOs and school leaders received robust training around leadership, communications and accountability.