Our History.
A Legacy of Compassion and Innovation.
THE STORY OF EGF BEGAN WITH EDWIN GOULD 1866-1933
Ahead of his time he believed that a strong education and access to opportunity transformed lives. Throughout his life he devoted himself and his resources to developing high quality residential schools for children separated from their families, launching workforce training programs to help women gain economic independence and supporting countless other programs that improved the well-being of others — their self-sufficiency, their strength and pride.
Following his passing, EGF carried forward his spirit and ethos—meeting each moment with his compassion and commitment to education and opportunity. Edwin’s support of the Messiah Home for Children, the creation of the Kingsland Avenue Children’s Home in the early 1900’s influenced the Foundation’s decision to support the Lakeside School in the 1930’s and invest in summer programs for over 50,000 children in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
EDWIN GOULD: IN MEMORY …
Mr. Gould who lived not long ago,
Loved to see children play;
He watched them running to and fro
So he built a home for them one day.
The home extends out far and wide,
And there are trees and shrubs which surround it, And ivy is growing up it’s sides,
And everything looks so home like.
The children there have lots of fun,
And they all get a good education;
But there is no place in which good and kindness Can out do the Gould Foundation.
—Theresa Marcel, Age 12,
From Gould Echoes, June 1934, The Lakeside School
From the 1960’s though the turn of the century, the Foundation championed innovative nonprofits that were breaking new ground in tackling educational inequities head-on. This included the Edwin Gould Academy, the Crystal Run Environmental Education Center, the Workshop in Business Opportunities and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO).
In the 1980s, EGF became home to the Community Schools movement, an initiative to embed high-quality health care, career training, and wraparound services directly into schools.
Soon after, the Foundation incubated and became the launchpad for some of the most influential and transformative education organizations of our time - Teach For America, NYC Outward Bound Schools, and the major expansion of SEO, among other high impact organizations.
2008, the Foundation launched the EGF Accelerator —a long-term residential incubator providing promising education nonprofits the capital, capacity, and community they need to grow.
Since then, EGF’s community of alumni has grown into a remarkable network of changemakers-including The Opportunity Network, Breakthrough New York, The Writing Revolution, Blue Engine, Citizen Schools, Quill, OneGoal, uAspire, BEAM, Global Glimpse, Genesys Works NY, and CollegeSpring - organizations that have gone on to impact thousands of students and families nationwide.
From Edwin Gould’s bold investments, a century ago, to the thriving hub at 61 Gramercy Park North the history reflects a consistent throughline - when leaders are supported with space, resources, and belief, they unlock breakthrough change and ascend to new heights.
The most effective way to develop individuality in a child and start voluntary thinking of self-expression is through contact with nature.
—Edwin Gould 1924
