New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - September 10, 2024) - Student Leadership Network, a nonprofit that seeks to advance educational equity, today announced the receipt of a $500,000 grant from the Apollo Opportunity Foundation (AOF). The annual $250,000 grant over the next two years will support Student Leadership Network's programs to empower girls and gender-expansive youth (girls+) and create greater access to higher education. These initiatives will help put thousands of young people on pathways to meaningful employment nationwide. AOF, which launched in 2022 with a $100 million commitment from Apollo Global Management, seeks to expand opportunity in communities around the globe by deploying capital and by engaging Apollo employees to invest in career education, workforce development, and economic empowerment.

In the nonprofit sector, unrestricted multi-year grants are vital to an organization's ability to focus on its programs and have the resources to innovate and adapt. "We are grateful for the continued generosity of the Apollo Opportunity Foundation," said Yolonda Marshall, CEO of Student Leadership Network. "We are excited to be able to bring our proven program models to unlock economic mobility through increased educational attainment to more students across our network."

In addition to providing general operating support, Apollo's grant will also continue to support financial literacy programs across the Young Women's Leadership Schools, enabling more students to develop the financial knowledge and skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

Apollo hosts Student Leadership Network students in their New York office.

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Apollo's commitment goes beyond the financial. Stephanie Drescher, Partner and Chief Client and Product Development Officer at Apollo, has served on the board of Student Leadership Network since 2012. She is a champion of making career exploration events possible for students, from hosting career days at Apollo's office to encouraging her colleagues to volunteer at Student Leadership's career awareness events hosted at Young Women's Leadership Schools across New York City.

[center] Stephanie Drescher, Partner and Chief Client and Product Development Officer at Apollo, hosts Student Leadership Network for a career day.

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"I have seen firsthand the impact of Student Leadership Network's programs, which effectively support students in pursuing higher education and achieving their dreams. I'm proud to serve on Student Leadership Network's Board and support the organization's critical work for the future young leaders of our society," said Stephanie Drescher.

"The Apollo Opportunity Foundation is proud to partner with an organization that reflects our key pillars of career education and economic empowerment," added Lauren Coape-Arnold, Global Head of Citizenship and Executive Director of the Foundation.

Students from The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria learned about different career paths at Apollo.

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For more information about corporate partnerships with Student Leadership Network, please contact Matthew Chacko at mchacko@studentleadershipnetwork.org.

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About Student Leadership Network

Student Leadership Network believes in the potential of all students and is cultivating a generation of young people empowered to lead. The organization works with every student, developing their abilities to achieve their educational ambitions. Its nearly three-decade track record demonstrates higher college enrollment and graduation rates, significantly surpassing national benchmarks. Student Leadership Network advances educational equity by increasing access to higher education in under-resourced public schools nationwide through two models:

• The Young Women's Leadership model elevates practices in girls'+ schools that lead to success and ultimately change the face of leadership. It is currently being implemented at 25 schools nationwide.
• The CollegeBound Initiative model develops a college-going school culture-creating high expectations and viable pathways for postsecondary success. It is currently being implemented at 50 schools nationwide including 38 co-ed schools.

About Apollo Opportunity Foundation

Launched in 2022, the Apollo Opportunity Foundation (AOF) builds on Apollo Global Management's commitment to expanding opportunity across its workplace, marketplace and the communities where it operates. AOF was launched with $100 million to invest in non-profit organizations working to advance economic prosperity across three key pillars: Career Education, Workforce Development, and Economic Empowerment. Leading with an employee-driven approach, AOF partners with organizations that are championed by Apollo employees to expand opportunity for all.

About Apollo

Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade to private equity with a focus on three investing strategies: yield, hybrid, and equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of June 30, 2024, Apollo had approximately $696 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

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