Press Release: Boston Partners in Education announces urgent fundraising campaign to preserve its mentoring programs

Boston, MA – Boston Partners in Education (BPIE), a nonprofit organization that provides Boston Public Schools (BPS) students with in-classroom tutoring and mentoring services, today announces an urgent fundraising campaign to preserve its mentoring programs. A staple of support in the Boston Public Schools since 1966, BPIE is in danger of pausing its operations for the 2023-24 school year.

The fundraising campaign, Raise Your Hand for BPIE, aims to secure $500,000 before January 1, 2024, to ensure the future sustainability of BPIE’s vital academic mentoring services. According to Executive Director Erin McGrath, $250,000 must be raised in phase one of the campaign by August 31, 2023 for the organization to continue operating its programs in the 2023-24 school year.

“Like many nonprofit organizations in the wake of COVID-19, Boston Partners in Education is in a period of financial uncertainty, and we need your help,” urged McGrath. “For nearly 60 years, our mentoring programs have provided personalized academic and social-emotional support to over 1,000 BPS students annually, at no cost to them or their families. Losing this extra support is not an option for the students and families who rely on our services.”

Shifts in corporate giving strategies, shake-ups to the event-focused revenue model, and state-level divestment from programs like Boston Partners in Education’s have affected the organization’s ability to meet annual revenue targets in recent years.

“We’re working to close the revenue gap that has followed the uncertainty of the post-pandemic economy,” said McGrath. “We see the path to sustained success for our programs, but we can’t do this without our supporters. We have set an ambitious goal of raising $250,000 over the next three months in order to keep our mentoring programs operating in BPS classrooms. We know this is a big ask, but we believe wholeheartedly in this work and in the power of our community.”

As the longest-running continuous nonprofit partner of the Boston Public Schools, BPIE has provided the district with support during pivotal moments in the history of public education in Boston. In the 1960s, BPIE’s volunteer librarians helped the district set up the first central libraries in elementary schools. During the busing crisis in the mid-1970s, BPIE volunteers ensured that students were safely escorted to school. Today, BPIE’s free tutoring and mentoring programs can be found in over 60 Boston Public Schools.

All funds raised in the Raise Your Hand for BPIE campaign will ensure this historic organization remains in operation, and that these critical mentoring programs continue to provide additional support to BPS students throughout the district.

What’s At Stake?

BPIE pausing operations in the 2023-24 school year would mean over 1,000 BPS students losing access to the additional support that helps them gain confidence and improve their grades.

About Boston Partners in Education

Founded in 1966, Boston Partners in Education is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) through our in-classroom academic mentoring services. We are a longstanding and trusted partner of BPS, responding to the needs of students and their teachers. We prepare volunteers of all ages and backgrounds from Boston’s diverse neighborhoods to serve as academic mentors to students. Our trained academic mentors work with students directly in the classroom during the school day for at least an hour each week. This type of consistent support can help all students fill academic gaps and build the self-confidence necessary to achieve their goals.