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�ճ��  today announced the creation of the Education Forward Endowment Fund, established through a $500,000 grant from the Rutledge Family Foundation. The largest single contribution in the Trust’s history, the grant will help support long-term sustainability and growth of the Trust’s educational programs, furthering its mission to increase access to primary source materials for educators and students of all ages. �ճ�� endowment will support integrated resources for educators focused on the analysis of primary sources and the development of critical thinking skills.

ɫ��ɫ Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “The creation of the Education Forward Endowment Fund��represents��a powerful investment in the future of teaching and learning in New York. We are deeply grateful to the Rutledge Family Foundation for this historic $500,000 gift, which will ensure long-term support for expanding access to primary source materials and strengthening critical thinking skills for students and educators statewide. This endowment advances our shared commitment to educational excellence, equity, and opportunity for all.”

Stephen Pagano, Chair of the ɫ��ɫ Archives Partnership Trust Board,��said, "The Trust’s��Board is profoundly grateful to Tom and Karen Rutledge for this historic investment in New York’s students. This gift is a testament to the Trust’s commitment to meet educators where they��are��and to work with them to provide��the��tools and��resources��they need to��incorporate��primary sources into the classroom��so��they��can��educate��the��informed citizens of tomorrow. We are committed to ensuring our educational��programs remain a permanent and accessible resource for classrooms across the Empire��State."

Janet Braga, Director of the Archives Partnership Trust, said,��"The Rutledge family’s transformative��gift��redefines what is possible for history education in New York.��Together with our statewide partners, including historical organizations, libraries, local governments, and cultural institutions, the Fund will help ensure��the��state’s��rich and diverse documentary history is available to educators and students through Trust programs designed to evolve, inform, and inspire their connection to our shared past for generations to come.

Tom Rutledge��said,��"Having supported the ɫ��ɫ Archives Partnership Trust for many years, we have seen firsthand the incredible quality and reach of their statewide education programs. We want to help expand the Trust’s unique ability to help local historical organizations across the state unlock their own records and share those hidden stories with teachers and students everywhere. By helping to establish the Education Forward Endowment Fund, we want to ensure that our shared past is brought directly into the classroom to inform and inspire a new generation who will write their own stories."

The��Trust’s current��educational programs include:

• , a��premier online resource providing educators with primary sources from over 300 historical and community organizations and local governments, inquiry-based activities, and professional learning services that help��connect students with local resources.
• ,��a quarterly education magazine designed for a general audience, offering engaging stories and photographic essays on history found in local and state records. For younger readers,����featuring��Archie the��Jr!��Archivist was created in Fall 2023 and��is used��in over 490 school districts across 61 counties. The��Jr!��magazine is free for educators, offered in print and digital formats, and features supplemental resources on ConsidertheSourceNY.org.����
• In its 36th��year, the����helps students build research skills and encourages them to explore the wealth of historical records held in repositories across ɫ��ɫ. The program also serves to increase cooperation between schools and organizations that administer historical records useful for education.
• ��supports��advanced research on ɫ��ɫ history, government, or public policy in the ɫ��ɫ Archives. The program serves university and college faculty, graduate students, historians, educators, and researchers.

More details about the ɫ��ɫ Archives Partnership Trust can be found on its��.

About the ɫ��ɫ Archives Partnership Trust

The��, a 501(c)3 organization, works to advance ɫ��ɫ History by making the voices within over 350 years of��colonial and state government records in the State Archives��accessible, relevant, and heard. Education, preservation, and outreach programs unite scholars, students, and the interested public in the discovery, interpretation, and promotion of our shared history.��Programs created and supported by the Trust include:��;��;��; countless preservation projects to help stabilize and rehabilitate fragile records; and outreach programs such as��, the��, and other public education programs. ��to receive timely updates.