The Fund for Public Schools

What The Fund for Public Schools does

The Fund for Public Schools (legal name: Fund for New York City Public Schools) is a 501(c)-style non-profit organization founded in 1983 and headquartered at 52 Chambers St., Room 305, New York, NY. It operates as the designated non-profit fundraising partner to the New York City Department of Education, channeling philanthropic capital from foundations, corporations, and individuals into the city's public school system. To date, it has cumulatively raised more than $696 million directed at 1,600 public schools serving nearly 1 million students, making it the dedicated philanthropic arm for the largest school system in the United States.

The organization's programmatic work is structured around three pillars: supporting a robust student learning experience, building a supportive school ecosystem, and providing school-based gifts and scholarships. It does not develop or sell a technology product; rather, it functions as a development and grantmaking vehicle that identifies funding gaps in NYC public schools and directs donor capital to address them. Its business model is purely contribution-based — donations are accepted via the organization's website from foundations, businesses, and individuals — with no commercial pricing, no SaaS or API surface, and no proprietary software disclosed. Marketing and donor engagement are conducted through a Squarespace-hosted website and email newsletter.

The operating model is anchored by a small staff (11-50 employees) and a formal board of directors. Distribution of resources occurs entirely through the partnership with NYC Public Schools. There is no indication of subsidiaries, parent company, M&A activity, or geographic expansion beyond New York City. The organization's competitive position rests on its official designation as the DOE's non-profit partner and the institutional trust accumulated over four decades of fundraising.

Name

The Fund for Public Schools

Legal name

Fund for New York City Public Schools

Website

https://fundforpublicschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Fund for Public Schools is a New York City-based non-profit that serves as the designated fundraising partner to the NYC Department of Education, channeling donations from foundations, businesses, and individuals into 1,600 public schools serving nearly 1 million students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Education Nonprofit Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Educational Support Services (6117), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Public education fundraising
• Nonprofit education funding
• Philanthropic school support
• Education grantmaking services
• School partnership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The Fund for Public Schools operates as a non-profit organization that raises money from foundations, businesses, and individuals to support New York City Public Schools. The organization has secured more than $696 million for the city's public schools.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Fund for Public Schools is the official nonprofit fundraising partner to the New York City Department of Education. It raises money from foundations, businesses, and individuals and channels those funds into three programmatic areas: supporting a robust student learning experience, building a supportive ecosystem for schools, and providing school-based gifts and scholarships. The organization has cumulatively raised more than $696 million for the city's 1,600 public schools serving nearly 1 million students.

Product overview

The Fund for New York City Public Schools is a non-profit organization that serves as the fundraising and partnership arm for NYC Public Schools. Rather than a unified technology product or platform, the organization functions as a development and investment vehicle that channels financial resources into three main programmatic areas: supporting a robust student learning experience, building a supportive ecosystem for schools, and providing school-based gifts and scholarships. The organization has raised more than $696 million for the city's public schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fundraising and Investment Services for NYC Public Schools

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• DonorsChoose: National crowdfunding platform that channels individual donations directly to public school teachers and classrooms, including NYC; competes for the same K-12 education philanthropic dollar.
• PENCIL: NYC-based non-profit that connects businesses and donors with NYC public schools to fund programs and resources — direct overlap in mission and beneficiary base.
• The New York Community Trust: NYC's largest community foundation, making grants to nonprofits including education initiatives; operates as a comparable grantmaking/development finance vehicle for NYC public-benefit causes.
• Robin Hood Foundation: Major NYC-based poverty-fighting foundation that funds education programs and partners with NYC schools; comparable in mission and donor base, though broader in scope than K-12 alone.
• Fund for Chicago Public Schools: Serves as the official non-profit fundraising partner for Chicago Public Schools, mirroring the Fund for Public Schools' role as the designated philanthropic arm of a major urban school district.

Broad incumbents

• United Way of New York City: Large NYC fundraising umbrella that includes education among its funding priorities; broader in scope but competes for the same corporate and individual donor pool.
• KIPP Foundation: National K-12 charter school network with associated foundation funding; comparable education focus but operates schools directly rather than as a fundraising intermediary.

Regional players

• New York Foundation: NYC-focused grantmaking foundation supporting education and youth programs; comparable regional philanthropic scope but broader grantmaking mandate beyond K-12.

Emerging players

• ExpandED Schools: NYC-based non-profit that partners with public schools to expand enrichment programs; comparable in serving NYC public school students via philanthropic funding.
• Fund for Public Education (various districts): Similar district-affiliated fundraising nonprofits exist in other major U.S. cities (e.g., Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles); peers in model but operate in non-overlapping geographies.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thefundforps
• Facebookfacebook.com/fundforpublicschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-fund-for-public-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Fund for Public Schools