The New York Life Foundation will give $450,000 grant to fund curriculum enhancements, professional development, and technical assistance in National Academy Foundation “schools within schools” in public high schools.

The Foundation is part of New York Life, which has a major office in Bellevue.

NAF academies have a 90 percent graduation rate – well above the national average of 67 percent. Through the use of project-based learning, which mimics the real world of work, Academy of Finance students become creative decision makers and skilled problem solvers, preparing them for higher education and the professional workplace.

In addition to receiving rigorous academic training, students also have access to the corporate and community leaders serving on the Academy’s advisory board, who provide students with paid internships and opportunities for job shadowing and mentoring, act as role models, and help enhance the career-themed curriculum through their professional experience and access to guest speakers.

The Academy of Finance (AOF) model was launched more than 25 years ago and has served over 50,000 students who have gone on to careers in financial services and related industries. NAF Academies of Finance operate in 40 states and the District of Columbia. In 2007, they served over 26,000 students, approximately 70 percent of whom are from minority backgrounds.