New York Life Foundation
The New York Life Foundation has been a longstanding partner of BGCA for three decades. From establishing learning centers at Clubs in New York City to helping launch a national grief and bereavement program, the New York Life Foundation is committed to assisting Club youth reach their full potential.
Be There: A National Grief and Bereavement Initiative
The New York Life Foundation partnered with BGCA to help Clubs provide a supportive environment for grieving children and their families and help build the skills they need to thrive. Clubs have a unique opportunity to create environments where grieving youth can make meaningful, supportive relationships and develop the skills they need to cope with grief and loss. The Be There Initiative provides training, resources, and strategies that increase the Club’s capacity to support grieving youth and helps Clubs develop strong and supportive relationships among four focus areas: youth, staff, families, and community.
In 2011, BGCA launched the Be There Initiative through a four-year, $1 million grant from the New York Life Foundation. The pilot program started in 25 Clubs, which was then expanded to 90 additional Clubs with a four-year, $3-million grant in 2016. The 2016 grant also helped build the Ready, Set, Action program, a strength-based curriculum developed by The PEAR Institute (Partnerships in Education and Resiliency) that builds Club members’ competence and resilience.
To continue supporting Club youth, the New York Life Foundation established a three-year, $1.65 million grant in 2022. The grant will aid in updating, expanding, and integrating the Be There curriculum to ensure that 100% of all Clubs have access to the new and improved content. Additionally, the 2022 grant will support Clubs in addressing COVID-19-related academic learning loss through training, support, and curriculum development, creating more alignment between social-emotional learning and targeted academic support.
About The New York Life Foundation
Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided nearly $415 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement, childhood bereavement and social justice. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees and agents of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good program and Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative. To learn more, please visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.
