Boston Nonprofit Awarded $1.5 Million to Link High School Learning Opportunities to In-Demand Careers

Pathways Impact Fund makes three-year investment in EdVestors to bolster career pathways, strengthen social capital, and foster purpose for students in Boston

BOSTON, MA– February 24, 2026 – EdVestors, a longtime Boston-based school improvement nonprofit organization, today announced it has been awarded $1.5 million to strengthen its city-wide effort to scale career-connected learning opportunities and deepen students' sense of purpose, belonging, and social capital. The grant is made by the Pathways Impact Fund, a national initiative of StriveTogether.

"Boston’s young people bring tremendous assets, and it is our responsibility to help them see and pursue the full range of opportunities available," said Marinell Rousmaniere, CEO of EdVestors. "This investment strengthens our collective work across our city to connect students’ talents and interests to real-world pathways and expand access to experiences that open doors after high school."

Anchored by over two decades of partnership with Boston Public Schools (BPS) and backed by a growing body of research, EdVestors is a critical local connector focused on driving the systems-level alignment needed to put BPS’s 46,000 students on a path to economic mobility. Core to EdVestors’ strategy is the recognition that students need not just skills but experiences to help them make informed choices and build connections to put those skills to work after high school. Through the New Skills Boston network, which EdVestors facilitates, enrollment in pathways programs, including health care, life sciences, and business finance has doubled in the last five years, and nearly half of the BPS Class of 2024 completed an internship by graduation.

Over the next three years, EdVestors will expand access to high-quality career pathways for thousands more Boston students while strengthening advising, career-connected learning, and accelerated coursework across the system. Working with key partners, EdVestors will support deeper student engagement and stronger postsecondary transition supports, so more young people enroll in and complete college or career training.

“EdVestors has been a valued partner to Boston Public Schools for more than two decades, helping us strengthen the citywide partnerships that ensure our students graduate prepared for college, career, and life beyond the classroom,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “This continued support advances our shared commitment to expanding access to meaningful, career-connected learning experiences so every BPS student can discover their path and pursue their goals with confidence.”

This grant award to EdVestors is part of the Pathways Impact Fund’s $7.5 million commitment to regional intermediaries working to scale high-quality pathways across five states. Backed by several of the nation’s largest philanthropies, the Fund's strategy focuses on ensuring that more young people have access to high-quality advising, accelerated coursework, and career-connected learning that lead to purposeful pathways and economic mobility.

“EdVestors understands that pathways aren't just about career skills—they're about helping young people discover who they are and who they can become," said John Garcia III, executive director of the Pathways Impact Fund. “We're investing in their continued growth because this is exactly the kind of coordinated, student-centered approach we believe can transform pathways work across the country."

About EdVestors
EdVestors’ mission is to advance equitable, meaningful education that prepares every Boston student to activate their power and shape their future. EdVestors is a school improvement organization that combines strategic investments, content expertise, and collaborative implementation to drive system-level impact in Boston schools. EdVestors works at the classroom, school, and district level, serving as a connector that partners across sectors, a champion that shines a light on the bright spots in Boston schools, and a catalyst for systems change. Since 2002, EdVestors has raised and invested over $57 million in school improvement efforts. Learn more at www.edvestors.org.

About Pathways Impact Fund
The Pathways Impact Fund, backed by several of the nation’s largest philanthropies, is a national effort to ensure more young people are on pathways with purpose, gaining the experiences beginning in high school that build momentum to fulfilling, well-paying careers and economic mobility.

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether is a national network of community partnerships that bring together neighbors, including youth and families, nonprofits, businesses, schools and more, to work toward a future where youth can thrive in their communities. Cradle to Career Network members change the way their communities work together by building connections, sharing resources and using data to put more young people on a path to economic mobility. Our work helps young people meet seven key life milestones so that they have the opportunities they need to reach their goals, and, ultimately, thrive. Learn more at StriveTogether.org.