The Bronx Institute at Lehman College has received a grant totaling $200,000 from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors on behalf of the Llewellyn Family Foundation in support of ENLACE (Engaging Latino Communities for Education), a long-running program that provides high-potential Latino students with advanced academic enrichment opportunities.

ENLACE aims to improve educational outcomes for Latinx students in the Bronx as a pathway to economic independence by preparing them for admission to competitive private and public colleges and universities. The program brings together the most effective data-driven rigorous academic services proven to advance underserved youth to—and through—selective colleges.

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors is a nonprofit philanthropy service founded by the Rockefeller family. They currently advise on and manage more than $200 million in annual giving in more than 60 countries.

"We are pleased to join the network of projects funded by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors," said Professor Herminio Martinez, executive director of The Bronx Institute at Lehman College and a faculty member in Lehman's Department of Middle and High School Education. "This generous grant will allow us to continue our work serving our students and their families, as we strive to close the achievement gap in the Bronx."

The grant will fund several ENLACE initiatives connected to its mission of enhancing college access to Bronx middle and high school students, including rigorous STEM instruction courses; college prep and advisement workshops, and a support network for ENLACE alumni. Together, these initiatives form the core of ENLACE’s strategy of academic enrichment and advisement.

Since its inception almost two decades ago, ENLACE has been sustained and expanded by the support of The Bronx Institute’s corporate and philanthropic funders. In that time, 100% of its students have graduated from Bronx high schools and matriculated to private and public institutions. These students have gone on to thrive at colleges and universities across the country, with 85% graduating within four years and 100% graduating within five years.

"Our ENLACE students strive for excellence both in and out of the classroom," said Martinez. "We are immensely proud of what they achieve every day, and this new grant will ensure that the next generation is able to continue that legacy."