**Special Announcement: AF-Haiti Campaign to Support Two Haitian Schools in Need**
In partnership with Hope for Haiti, Achievement First is participating in a campaign to continue supporting two rural schools in Côte-de-Fer, Haiti, that were affected by the January 2010 earthquake. Media coverage has shifted, but there is still tremendous need for millions of Haitians affected by the earthquake (in addition to the recent cholera epidemic and hurricane storms). Please join our scholars, teachers and staff in collecting financial donations for much-needed school supplies, teacher salary support and a daily lunch program. All contributions will be sent directly to the schools, which serve over 300 Haitian students. You can learn more about the AF-Haiti Campaign by reviewing the Haitian school profiles and photos, a campaign overview presentation, and the letters exchanged between students from Achievement First and the Haitian schools after the first campaign during spring 2010.

If you click the “Donate Now” button on the right, you may choose to direct your donation to the AF-Haiti Campaign. Thank you very much for your support!

Achievement First's Philanthropic Need

Achievement First operates college-preparatory public charter schools at a per-student cost which is no more expensive than that of its host school districts in Connecticut and New York.

Connecticut Schools: In Connecticut, public charter schools receive approximately 75 percent of the per-pupil funding allocated to traditional public schools and are not provided with public facilities. To close this funding gap, we must raise approximately $4,000 per student each year to cover operating and facilities costs. We continue to advocate for equitable charter school funding in order to become self-sustaining on public dollars.

New York Schools: While our New York schools are designed for sustainability on public dollars, this is not achieved until we enroll all grades. Our schools open with a single grade, a method which is extremely successful in developing and maintaining a positive school culture, and grow by one grade each year until complete. In the initial start-up years, before we offer all grades, our schools require some private philanthropy to support their expansion. Once fully enrolled, our schools are financially self-sustaining.

Achievement First Network Support: Our Network Support office team provides many critical services for our schools, including curriculum and professional development, data management, technology support, fundraising, finances, teacher recruitment, and operations. Private philanthropy sustains our Network Support office as we support our schools during their critical start-up years and beyond.

Why Give?

Achievement First exists to close the achievement gap—the stark disparity in academic performance between low-income, minority students and their more affluent, white peers. When we invest in the education of all children, we improve the long-term health of our economy and our public health and safety:

• In Connecticut, it is estimated that in the next decade 40 percent of our workforce will be comprised of the low-income, minority population that is currently underserved in our public schools.
• In New York City, the Community Service Society reports that almost 50 percent of African American men are unemployed and that at any given time, approximately 12 percent of African American men are incarcerated.

The achievement gap is the civil rights issue of our time and a problem in which every citizen has a vital stake. Achievement First firmly believes that by providing all students with a rigorous college-preparatory education, our cities will benefit from a generation of high school and college graduates who have the academic and character skills necessary to be the leaders and innovators of the future.

How to Give

To make an online donation, please click here.

To make a check donation, please make checks out to Achievement First and mail to our Connecticut or New York office at the addresses below. We will gratefully apply your gift to the geography or Achievement First school where it is needed most. If you choose to designate your gift to a specific geography or specific Achievement First school, then specify how your gift should be allocated in a letter or on the memo line of the check.

Achievement First
403 James Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06513

Achievement First
510 Waverly Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11238

To get in touch with a member of our development team, please contact Ken Paul, vice president of development, at 203-773-3223 ext 17207 or kenpaul[at]achievementfirst[dot]org.