Hellman Foundation Awards $1.5 Million Capstone Grant to Reading Partners to Accelerate Literacy Across the San Francisco Bay Area

Three-year investment will strengthen staffing and program infrastructure to reach more than 4,000 struggling readers annually in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Lorenzo

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA – Reading Partners is thrilled to announce a transformative $1.5 million grant from the Hellman Foundation, paid over three years, to support sustainable infrastructure in the Bay Area region. This landmark gift—the largest single foundation grant in the region’s history—marks the Hellman Foundation’s final investment in Reading Partners as the Foundation accelerates its spend-down by 2034.

The unprecedented funding will directly support the expansion of an enhanced small-group tutoring model, tutor recruitment and training, and pilot curriculum enhancements at more than 20 school-based program sites across San Francisco, Oakland, and San Lorenzo. By Year 3, Reading Partners projects the grant will enable the organization to serve over 4,000 students annually, each receiving individualized, evidence-based tutoring that can accelerate reading proficiency by an extra 2.5 months in just one semester.

“The Hellman Foundation began supporting Reading Partners in 2014 and has been an extraordinary partner in the fight for literacy equity,” said Hong Thach, interim executive director of Reading Partners Bay Area. “This capstone gift is both a celebration of what we’ve built together and rocket fuel for the urgent work ahead. We are profoundly honored to steward these final dollars with maximum impact for Bay Area students and educators.”

 “An important part of the Hellman Foundation’s spend-down strategy is to invest in long-time partners whose work is a pillar of Bay Area communities,” said Annie Ulevitch, Executive Director of the Hellman Foundation. “The foundation’s support for Reading Partners is a shining example of this approach, and we’re deeply inspired by their effectiveness in transforming literacy outcomes and inspiring lifelong learning.”

Reading Partners trains community volunteers and pairs them with elementary students striving to read at grade level, delivering a structured, data-driven curriculum that has helped nearly 90,000 students nationwide since 1999. In the 2025-26 school year, the program plans to serve over 1,200 students in the Bay Area.

The grant arrives as Reading Partners continues scaling to meet post-pandemic learning recovery needs, with 72% of California fourth-graders reading below grade level proficiency according to the 2024 NAEP scores.

For more information about Reading Partners San Francisco Bay Area, visit https://readingpartners.org/san-francisco-bay-area.

Media Contact:

Shea Krause
Development Manager
Reading Partners Bay Area
shea.krause@readingpartners.org

About Reading Partners

For more than 25 years, through its core tutoring program, Reading Partners has supported student growth and confidence in school and beyond by engaging community volunteers to provide proven, individualized literacy tutoring. Since its founding, the national nonprofit organization has directly mobilized over 100,000 community volunteers to provide more than 3 million individualized literacy tutoring sessions—both in person and online—to nearly 90,000 elementary school students in over 600 under-resourced schools and 120 districts across ten states and the District of Columbia. Visit readingpartners.org to learn more about Reading Partners’ program impact and how the organization is using its online tutoring platform, licensing and training partnerships, family workshops, and other program innovations to positively impact more students. Connect with Reading Partners on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram. Reading Partners is a proud AmeriCorps service partner and has been endorsed by The New York Times and featured on The TODAY Show, GMA, and PBS NewsHour.

Hellman Foundation was established in 2011 and is rooted in the legacy of Warren and Chris Hellman, who modeled an approach to philanthropy based on curiosity, respect, and partnership with local communities. The foundation is committed to building equity and opportunity in the San Francisco Bay Area by investing in community-led initiatives through cross-sector collaboration. In 2023, the Hellman Foundation announced its decision to address pressing community needs by accelerating its giving in the near term, spending all funding, and closing its doors by the end of 2034.

Hellman Foundation Media Contact:

Kyle Buetzow
Senior Director, Strategic Communications
Third Plateau
kyle.buetzow@thirdplateau.com