Review Accredited Investor requirements
Corlears students learn, play and grow together in a school designed for who they are at ages 2 through 10. During these crucial formative years, they build a foundation of compassion, critical thinking, imagination and leadership, and cultivate a joy and confidence in learning that serves their graduates throughout their lives.
Corlears School is a progressive independent school dedicated to the education of children from 12 months through fifth grade. Since 1968, Corlears has been one of the few schools in NYC focused exclusively on early childhood and elementary education, with a belief backed by decades of experience that the early years are crucial to instilling a lifelong love of learning.
Corlears School’s community is diverse, and enrolled families fall along a wide spectrum of socioeconomic capacity, and the school is a local pillar for its families and the wider Chelsea/West Village community. Barriers to access independent schools begin with tuition. Corlears has addressed that through their Tuition Equity and Accessibility Model (TEAM), a sliding-scale model through which every family pays what they can. As a result, over 40% of gross tuition at Corlears is dedicated making it possible for families to pay below maximum tuition (termed financial aid in most schools). A typical independent school dedicates 15-20% of gross tuition to financial aid.
In addition to its robust school program and after-school options, Corlears offers free programming to all families on select Saturdays throughout the school year via its Learn. Play. Grow. initiative; Camp Corlears, a summer day camp led by the school’s experienced teachers, is also open to all; and weekend space rentals are offered for birthday parties and more.
Corlears has a history of graduating high-achieving, thoughtful, and compassionate emerging leaders well-equipped for the next step in their academic journey.
In a safe and supportive environment centered on social and emotional development, students are encouraged to ask questions, think freely, and advocate for themselves and others. Dedicated faculty and experts in child development tailor the interdisciplinary curriculum to each child’s strengths and needs, because every child is an original.
The beautiful, light-filled facilities located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan are filled with the sounds of joyful children who are engaged with each other in meaningful ways, and curious about the community in which they live. Corlears School’s commitment to access and belonging has established a community that is truly unique among NYC independent schools.
Corlears is driven by six core values: compassion, growth, courage to act, responsibility, belonging, and curiosity. These values are cultivated in every experience for students, families, and staff, because Corlears is driven to make the world a better place, starting in their own backyard.
Loan proceeds will be used to provide critical working capital needed to sustain program operations during the interim period prior to the anticipated sale of the Corlears School building.
Repayment of the loan is expected upon the closing of the property sale, projected for early 2026. With multiple offers on the building exceeding $20 million and approximately $11 million in existing debt, there is sufficient equity to fully repay the LENDonate loan. Additionally, if the school secures early access to a significant, nonrefundable deposit from the Buyer, the loan may be repaid prior to the closing. This could occur in the August/September timeframe.
