Griffin Donates $2 Million To South Florida Teachers

Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, has donated $2 million to the Teacher Accelerator Program (TAP) in Miami. The gift is part of a larger $2.4 million funding round secured by the nonprofit Achieve Miami over the last year. The funding awarded over the past year targets the urgent teacher shortage in Miami-Dade County by expanding recruitment efforts.

TAP focuses on creating a pipeline of talent for the teaching profession. The program recruits, prepares, and mentors aspiring educators, specifically targeting those who had not previously considered a career in education. The initiative aims to close learning gaps in the city’s schools by increasing the number of qualified instructors in public, private, and charter schools.

Achieve Miami uses these funds to expand several initiatives beyond TAP. These include Achieve Scholars, which prepares high schoolers for college success, and Achieve Summer, a dynamic program combating learning loss. Achieve Summer utilizes hands-on academics and enrichment to keep students engaged during the break.

Training the Next Generation

The Teacher Accelerator Program offers a direct route to the classroom. Participants take a one-semester course followed by a six-week paid summer internship. After completing these steps, they earn a certificate to teach in Miami-Dade County public, private, or charter schools.

The program is offered by the University of Miami, Florida International University, and Miami-Dade College. It operates with support from Teach for America Miami-Dade. Since its launch in 2023, TAP has recruited and trained nearly 200 new teachers.

This reliance on private funding highlights a growing trend where philanthropy fills gaps left by state budgets. As economic growth outpaces public education spending in fast-growing states, local nonprofits are increasingly forced to secure private revenue to maintain basic infrastructure. The situation in Miami reflects how essential educational services are becoming dependent on the financial priorities of individual donors rather than systematic public funding.

Griffin’s latest contribution builds on a $3.5 million gift he made to TAP in 2022. He has contributed more than $900 million to education initiatives throughout Florida and across the country. “Each of us has a story of how a teacher has changed our lives,” Griffin said.

Corporate and Community Support

The $2.4 million raised over the past year includes contributions from several other organizations. The Bezos Family Foundation provided $200,000 to support learning initiatives. The Panera Bread Foundation donated $100,000 as part of its national education access initiative.

Morgan Stanley contributed $65,000 specifically for financial literacy and career readiness programs. A team of employees from the firm guide students through sessions on budgeting, investing, entrepreneurship, savings, and credit across ten Miami-Dade County public schools. City National Bank of Florida added $50,000 to support the Achieve Scholars program and plans financial literacy programming for the summer.

Achieve Miami reports it has supported over 10,000 K-12 students to date. The organization has also provided internet access to over 106,000 homes through the Miami Connected program. Leslie Miller Saiontz, Founder of Achieve Miami, noted that the grants will help bridge opportunity gaps.

“Every student deserves access to resources, mentors, and opportunities that can set them up for success,” Saiontz said. “By investing in students and teachers, we are building a stronger future for our community.” Florida currently ranks 21st in per capita education funding despite having the nation’s fourth-largest economy.