Public Charter Schools

We work to remove the real estate barrier by offering affordable and flexible capital for the construction of high-quality public charter schools.

All children deserve access to a safe and nurturing public school in their community. In New York City, charter schools have become an important and proven part of the public education system and have been meeting the unique needs of students for more than twenty-five years. Today, charter schools serve over 150,000 students across the city – many in underserved communities. Charter schools are given flexibility and autonomy to design classroom instruction to best serve their students while also creating innovative solutions that provide thousands of New York City families with options that might otherwise be out of reach. Charter schools are free, public, and open to all students. They also often serve as neighborhood anchors.

Building and renovating schools, however, remain a major hurdle for new and existing public charter schools looking to meet the increased demand within their communities. Many schools are left to navigate costly real estate projects without access to adequate capital.

Since 2016, we’ve provided $189 million of financing for the construction of twelve charter schools in communities where the need is greatest. This capital has assisted in the build-out of over 880,000 square feet of new educational space supporting 8,557 student seats. Schools in our portfolio have demonstrated a commitment to meeting the demand for better education options in traditionally underserved communities. These include leading charter school networks such as KIPP NYC; Harlem’s Children Zone; DREAM; Achievement First; Urban Assembly; Nuasin Next Generation; Neighborhood; Bold; Ascend; and the Charter School for Law and Social Justice.

We are proud to help finance the creation of physical spaces where students and teachers thrive and communities gather.