Breakthrough New York

12/02/2025

It’s Giving Tuesday! 💙

Every gift today is doubled up to $35,000 helping BTNY expand access and support even more students on their path to college.

As public and private funding for education programs continues to shift, community support plays a critical role in sustaining the resources our students rely on. Your gift today ensures they can continue to receive the guidance, opportunity, and long-term support they deserve.

Make your gift through the link here 🔗➡️

Help expand educational access with Breakthrough New York this Giving Tuesday.

10/22/2025

Class is in session! 📚

From building their high school lists to perfecting interview skills at Mock Interview Day, BTNY middle schoolers are hard at work during afterschool programming. Huge shoutout to our teaching fellows, middle school team, and students for bringing the energy this fall! ✨

06/05/2025

As Breakthrough New York wraps its 25th year of programming, we have so much to celebrate — including welcoming 92 new students and families (!) into our largest incoming cohort ever last night at new family orientation.

We’ve seen what’s possible when students receive long-term, holistic support — and we remain deeply committed to helping them get to and through college.

But this year has also brought serious challenges:
❌ We lost $600,000 in Americorps federal funding for our middle school summer program
⚡ A transformer fire postponed our Gala — our largest annual fundraiser

Still, we’re moving forward with our full program — because our students deserve nothing less.

But we need your help to make it happen.

Every gift — no matter the size — brings us closer to fully funding this summer’s programming and beyond.

If you can, please consider making a donation today or sharing this post →

As we welcome our largest-ever incoming cohort—the Breakthrough Class of 2035—we’re also facing an unprecedented $600K loss in federal funding for our summer program. Your gift today, at any level, is vital to helping us close this gap and ensure every Breakthrough student receives the long-te...

04/18/2025

Help us select the Breakthrough New York Class of 2035 on April 26th in the Bronx! See below for more details or visit ➡️ bit.ly/btnyadmissions

02/20/2025

We are so thrilled to share that Breakthrough alum, Jessica Velesaca, will be joining us as the featured speaker at this year’s Associates Board Benefit on March 7th! Jessica continues to be a dedicated advocate for Breakthrough, and we hope you can join us at Nexus Club to hear her speech.

For more information about tickets and the event, please visit our event website ➡️ www.us.givergy.com/btny25

12/03/2024

🎉✨ Giving Tuesday is here! ✨🎉

Join us in celebrating 25 incredible years of Breakthrough New York by shaping the next 25 years of opportunities for our amazing students! 🌟

💛 Can you give just $25 today to help us reach our $25k Giving Tuesday goal?

Give here today: give.breakthroughnewyork.org/25yearsofimpact

❤️🙌

Join Breakthrough New York this Giving Tuesday to celebrate 25 years of empowering low-income students! With a 10-year commitment, we help students achieve success through college and beyond. Join to continue opening doors for the next 25 years!

11/25/2024

This year, Breakthrough New York is celebrating 25 years of opening doors, creating opportunities, and providing resources to students from low-income backgrounds. To mark this milestone, a generous donor is doubling all donations up to $25,000 — if we reach our goal by Giving Tuesday on December 3rd. Please join us in reaching our goal and supporting 25 more years of BTNY! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Join Breakthrough New York this Giving Tuesday to celebrate 25 years of empowering low-income students! With a 10-year commitment, we help students achieve success through college and beyond. Join to continue opening doors for the next 25 years!

11/18/2024

🎉 This past weekend, during BTNY’s November Super Saturday, our 9th graders had an opportunity to hear from members of the BTNY Associates Board during a career panel. Panelists shared insights about their career journeys, what they wish they had known in high school, and a glimpse into their daily work lives.

Our students came ready with thoughtful questions, diving into topics like navigating high school, finding mentors, and preparing for the future. It was an incredible chance to spark curiosity and build confidence for what’s ahead!

A huge thank you to our High School Teaching Fellows and our wonderful panelists, Rahmel Robinson (BTNY Class of 2019), Shannon McDonald, Grant Thomas, Rosalynn Salinas, and Alexander Walberg for sharing their wisdom and making this event so impactful. 💡👏

10/28/2024

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 for Breakthrough New York’s FREE, 10-year academic & enrichment program!

𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗳...
🗽 Currently enrolled as a NYC-based 𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿
🏡 From a low-income household (see website for details)
📚 Academically motivated with 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝟯+ 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 AND 𝟴𝟱%+ 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 in core classes
📆 Can 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 & 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 starting in summer 2025

𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁:
🤝🏽 Year-round mentorship and personalized guidance from middle school to college
🏫 Access to top-tier NYC high schools and support navigating the admissions process
🎓 Expert college prep & admissions support plus pathways to internships and job opportunities
🚀 Career-readiness coaching, building skills for lucrative, in-demand careers

Ready to Make a Breakthrough?
👉 𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝟲𝘁𝗵-𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 https://btny.tfaforms.net/31 by Dec. 6, 2024
OR
👉 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 https://btny.tfaforms.net/53 by Jan. 17, 2025

10/24/2024

Breakthrough New York’s 25th Year of Programming is in Full Swing! 🎉

Last Saturday, BTNY high schoolers, staff, and Teaching Fellows came together for our second Super Saturday of the year! 🙌 Our 9th graders worked hard on time management activities to help ease their transition into high school, while 11th graders delved into college financial aid case studies with the guidance of BTNY alumni. 💼✨

A big thank you to our incredible Teaching Fellows for their energy and expertise, making this day a huge success! 🚀 We’re so proud of the effort and collaboration across the board, and we can’t wait for the next one!

10/09/2024

Anita Norman has worked for Breakthrough New York for nearly four years, first as a Brooklyn Program Manager and now as the Senior Middle School Program Advisor. In this must-read essay, "Community is What We Do," she reflects on the magic of the BTNY community and her approach to education.

Check it out ➡️

Anita has worked for Breakthrough New York for nearly four years, first as a Brooklyn Program Manager and now as the Senior Middle School Program Advisor. In this essay, she reflects on the magic of the Breakthrough community and her experiences building project-based learning curricula. I have the....

10/07/2024

What an incredible first BTNY event of the school year!
This Saturday, we hosted our annual fall Mock Interview Day, where volunteers worked with our 8th graders to sharpen their interview skills for upcoming high school admissions. Our students left feeling more confident and ready to take on their interviews! A huge thank you to the 25 amazing volunteers, including BTNY alumni, board members, and college students, who dedicated their time and energy to making this event a success. We can't wait to keep the momentum going this year!