Upcoming Events
SAVE THE DATE!
YRF Gala 2025
Monday, June 9th 6-9PM EST
At PEAK Hudson Yards
Honoring Karen W. Davidson
CO-CHAIRS: Amy & Elliot Holtz, Marc Rowan, Carolyn Rowan, Madeleine & Paul Schnell
MEET OUR LEADERSHIP
Talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not! The Youth Renewal Fund is addressing this by providing innovative programs to schools in Israel’s lowest income communities. We're changing the lives of Israelis through education.
Paul Schnell
President
There is a staggering gap in Israel between the rich and the poor, and it is our mission, to use education as a form of social mobility, to close this gap.
Sam Katz
Executive Committee Member
When students of any background are provided with innovative educational opportunities, coupled with dedicated teachers and appropriate resources, anything is possible. The Youth Renewal Fund creates this unique environment for all our students every day.
Rob Schwartz
Executive Committee Member
Our students dream big. They want to be dancers, astronauts and entrepreneurs. Darca gives them the tools to have these dreams and helps them unlock their potential to do so.
Sam Camens
Board Member
The Youth Renewal Fund is changing the lives of thousands of Israeli students while setting a new standard for education in the country.
Randye Kwait
Executive Committee Member
Our efforts have verified the belief that when students are provided equivalent educational resources as the wealthiest segments of society they too flourish.
Dr. Gil Pereg, YRF CEO
Youth Renewal Fund by the numbers
MUNICIPALITIES
SCHOOLS & INSTITUTIONS
STUDENTS
TEACHERS
The Bagrut certificate is a prerequisite for higher education in Israel. In Israel, acceptance into elite military units, academic studies, and employment are heavily influenced by receipt of a Bagrut certificate and the Bagrut scores achieved.
LATEST NEWS
30
Nov
Applying the Private Equity Model to K-12 Schools (With Great Results)
What happens when you disrupt K-12 education by applying the private equity model to it?
13
Apr
Apollo Co-Founder Taps Private Equity Playbook for Educational Nonprofit
Marc Rowan, co-founder of global private-equity firm Apollo Global Management , spent decades buying companies with an eye toward improving them with new capital, leadership, accountability and operating strategies. He used a similar strategy to shape a charity that seeks to improve educational access and social mobility in Israel. Mr. Rowan credits a strong education
28
Feb
Buy to Build: Nonprofit M&A as an Impact Enhancer
From left to right: Dr. Gil Pereg, CEO of Darca Schools; Lt . Gen. (Ret.) Gabi Ashkenazi, former IDF Chief of General Staff and Chairman of Rashi Foundation; Mr. Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global Management and chairman of YRF; Ms. Danna Azrieli, chair of Azrieli Group and chair of Azrieli Foundation Israel. (Photo by
24
Feb
Education reform through a private equity lens
The industry’s value-creating model can help schools prepare the next generation of critical thinkers and innovators. Prior to the pandemic, one of the biggest inhibitors to growth was the availability of qualified candidates. The US economy had reached “full employment”, while the unemployment rate in the UK hit its lowest level since 1975. But at