BellXcel, a Boston-based educational nonprofit, has announced a three-year, $3 million grant from the New York Life Foundation in support of out-of-school learning programs for at-risk middle school students.

The grant will enable BellXcel to enhance and expand access to its evidence-based summer and afterschool programming, with the goal of strengthening the academic and social-emotional skills of twelve thousand students across the United States. Formerly known as Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL), BellXcel will work to develop new solutions that support its national network of program partners, including a technology platform that allows for greater customization, as well as efforts to provide educators with professional development and in-service learning opportunities.

In 2018, students who participated in the organization's summer programs gained two and a half months of math skills and two months of reading skills, in effect canceling out and in some cases reversing any summer learning loss they might have experienced.

"The New York Life Foundation has been a strong supporter of BellXcel since 2007 because its proven success in the out-of-school time space aligns with our efforts to ensure that youth have year-round holistic learning experiences that develop important academic and social emotional skills," said New York Life Foundation senior program officer Marlyn Torres. "We are dedicated to expanding access to high-quality out-of-school time programs for middle school students because they help prepare youth for long-term success."