Mission & Values

The GO Project (“GO”) helps New York City public school students thrive in the earliest stages of their education through year-round academic, social-emotional, and family support. Since 1968, GO’s out-of-school time programming has equipped thousands of children with the confidence and skills needed to make academic gains, enroll in high-performing middle and high schools, graduate on time, and achieve college success. By harnessing New York’s physical, financial, and intellectual resources, GO has grown from a group of volunteers serving 30 students on the Lower East Side into a $3 million organization creating equal opportunity for more than 700 students citywide.

Our values, which serve to guide our staff, volunteers, and participants as we work toward fulfilling our mission, include:

Achievement. We work together to create opportunities to unlock the potential in ourselves and in others.
Support Diversity. We value the different backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences of our diverse community.
Participate & Innovate. We are actively engaged in the relentless pursuit of the organization’s mission through our approach to the work.
Integrity. We adhere to the highest standards of ethics, professionalism, and mutual respect amongst our community.
Responsibility. We take accountability for ourselves, our decisions, and the people and programs that we oversee.
Effort & Enthusiasm. We commit to a conscious exertion of hard work with strong excitement and motivation.

To find out more about our current work toward achieving educational equity for New York City's public school students, please read about our challenge.

Equity & Antiracist Commitment Statement

Since GO Project’s founding in 1968, our programs have provided academic and social emotional support to many students, but we have fallen short in recognizing and addressing the ways that systemic racism and inequities impact the public education system and the non-profit sector. Since May 2020, the GO Project team has worked to unpack how white supremacy culture and other forms of oppression operate and how our organization has upheld tenants of this culture.

Our strength as an organization is in the diversity of our students, families, staff, and volunteers. One of our roles is to leverage that strength to challenge the structural inequities that allow for systemic racism, oppression, and violence to persist. We will continue and deepen this work together.

GO's mission calls for equity in education, and we strive to provide an inclusive space for every member of our community in pursuit of that mission. We recommit with humility and intention to examine our work and practices, and to ensure opportunity and belonging for every child and adult we serve, as well as for those who work alongside us. We recognize that work to dismantle racism and all forms of oppression is never done. Our vision and goals are dynamic and we recognize that continuous commitment and reflection is paramount to our progress. GO Project will:

• Center student, family, and community voices in our work.
• Hire and retain staff and partners at all levels who are representative of all identities of the communities we serve.
• Support culturally-competent team at all levels by providing opportunities for training, discussion, and reflection.
• Deliver culturally-responsive programs and create inclusive, supportive learning environments. 
• Be a place where feedback is given and received with vulnerability and care, and where mistakes are viewed as an expected stage of growth and innovation.
• Ensure staff feel appreciated, valued, and developed as a community of professionals.
• Recognize and address instances of bias so that community members feel safe and supported.
• Use qualitative and quantitative data and feedback to drive program quality and promote holistic growth directly for families and students.
• Take a thoughtful and inclusive approach to project planning and ensure there is sufficient time for visioning, planning, collaboration, and reflection.
• Commit to clear, transparent, collaborative, and inclusive decision-making with shared power and collective accountability to the greatest extent possible.

GO's History

In 1968, members of Grace Church and Grace Church School in the East Village joined together to solve a problem. Just a few blocks away in the Lower East Side, many students were living in poverty and failing to thrive in under-performing public schools. Their concerned neighbors saw an opportunity—use available classroom space at Grace Church School on Saturdays and during the summer to provide a high quality tutoring program for struggling elementary school students, and equip them with the skills needed for future success.

The simple, cost-efficient solution quickly drew support from the community. After securing a $3,000 grant, the GO Project launched its first program with two teachers, 30 students and donated classroom space at Grace Church School.

(Pictured above: GO Project students at Grace Church School with Reverend Timothy Cogan, circa 1969)

Over the years, GO has grown organically to meet the needs of our students, always keeping community building and educational access at the core of our work. In 2004, the GO Project launched a bold initiative to increase enrollment and services by 20 per cent each year, in 2010, we received our 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and in 2011, the GO Project extended our program to include services for middle school students.

(Pictured above: GO Project students, volunteers, teachers, and GO Project Board Member,
Dan Berger, at Grace Church School, circa 1985)

Most recently, in 2013, the GO Project completed a strategic plan with support from the Robin Hood Foundation and McKinsey & Company. The plan revealed that other NYC neighborhoods had a strong need for the GO Project's unique program. In response, GO expanded its services in the Lower East Side and replicated its program in Brooklyn on October 2017.

(Pictured above: GO Project volunteers and student, circa 1992)

Today, the GO Project is a $3 million organization with six independent host site partners -- Grace Church, Grace Church School, LREI, Avenues: The World School, The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, St. Luke's School, and Berkeley Carroll School -- serving 700 public school students in grades K-8 from more than 40 public schools in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.