Breakthrough Miami Announces $2 Million Gift From Kenneth C. Griffin to Develop the Next Generation of Leaders and Educators

Gift will expand Breakthrough Miami's nationally recognized students-teaching-students model, creating new pathways for youth leadership, workforce readiness, and academic success.

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More South Florida students will have the opportunity to teach, lead, and develop real-world career skills following a $2 million gift from Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst. The gift will enable Breakthrough Miami to expand its nationally recognized Students-Teaching-Students leadership model.

The support will strengthen and scale Breakthrough Miami’s embedded leadership pathway, creating more opportunities for high school and college students to serve in apprenticeships as Volunteer Teachers, Teaching Assistants, and Teaching Fellows. This approach equips students with the skills they need for success in college, careers, and the knowledge economy, while helping younger Scholars excel academically.

“There are few places where a 14- or 15-year-old can begin a structured leadership journey that can continue through high school and college, gaining thousands of hours of real teaching, mentoring, and workforce experience,” said Lori-Ann Cox, CEO of Breakthrough Miami. “Student leaders at Breakthrough learn to operate as professionals early, managing responsibilities, leading groups, and seeing themselves as capable contributors. Griffin Catalyst’s support allows us to scale this unmatched youth leadership pathway.”

For three decades, Breakthrough Miami’s evidence-based, near-peer teaching model has been designed to create dual impact: younger Scholars benefit from engaging, high-quality instruction and mentorship, positively impacting academic and social development, while older students gain hands-on leadership experience and professional confidence through an immersive teaching experience.

“Breakthrough Miami has a profound impact on the lives of Miami students by teaching them the leadership and learning skills they need to pursue their dreams and aspirations,” said Ken Griffin. “I care deeply about the lives of young people, and I am excited to know that my support of Breakthrough Miami will make a meaningful difference in our community.”

Griffin’s gift will support more than 600 high school and college students each year through Breakthrough Miami’s leadership pipeline, while reaching 1,800 Breakthrough Scholars across South Florida.

Funding will expand instructional coaching, leadership training, recruitment, evaluation, and program capacity while increasing the number of paid Teaching Assistantships and Teaching Fellowships available to students across South Florida. Through their Breakthrough experience, these emerging leaders develop transferable skills including instructional design and delivery, public speaking, time and project management, and adaptive problem-solving. They also learn to mentor and motivate others, communicate across diverse audiences, and lead with empathy and accountability.

The enhanced leadership pathway will provide students with more than 1,200 hours of development opportunities throughout high school and college, including classroom teaching, instructional coaching, and mentorship, and leadership training. Breakthrough Miami also introduces students to careers in education, youth development, and mental health and social services, helping strengthen workforce pipelines in fields facing significant shortages nationwide.

“We offer a real-world apprenticeship in the skills that define the knowledge economy - communication, adaptability, collaboration, reflection, and leadership, while simultaneously delivering academic and social impact for younger Scholars,” Cox added.

With Griffin Catalyst’s support, Breakthrough Miami will also deepen evaluation and research efforts to measure the impact of its students-teaching-students model and share best practices nationally.

Breakthrough Miami’s Teaching Fellowship program has been nationally recognized as one of the country’s top service leadership experiences. The program currently operates across eight school-based sites, serving 1,800 youth from more than 320 schools across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Participants reside in nearly half of all ZIP codes across the three-county region. Breakthrough Miami is pursuing an ambitious vision to expand its reach by 40% by 2030.

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About Breakthrough Miami

Since 1991, Breakthrough Miami has supported more than 4,000 Scholars to maximize their potential, providing unparalleled service leadership experiences to 2,500 Teaching Fellows and 5,000 Volunteers. Grounded by a vision for educational equity and a unique position as a bridge-builder across diverse communities, Breakthrough has grown exponentially in reach, impact, and recognition as South Florida’s Opportunity Generator. Honored as 2023 Program of the Year by The Children’s Trust, recognizing excellence in youth development, and 2023 Program of the Year by Volunteer Florida in honor of outstanding excellence as an AmeriCorps program, Breakthrough Miami impacts more than 2,500 youth annually across 150 zip codes and 320 schools. Learn more at https://breakthroughmiami.org/.

About Griffin Catalyst

Griffin Catalyst is the civic engagement initiative of Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, encompassing his philanthropic and community impact efforts. Tackling the world’s greatest challenges in innovative, action-oriented, and evidence-driven ways, Griffin Catalyst is dedicated to expanding opportunity and improving lives across six areas of focus: Education, Science & Medicine, Upward Mobility, Freedom & Democracy, Enterprise & Innovation, and Communities. For more information, visit griffincatalyst.org.