Mark Reinhardt, chair of the Reinhardt Foundation
In late 2024, the Reinhardt Family Foundation Trust established an annual fellowship program to support a high-achieving, first-generation City College of New York student who demonstrated a commitment to social justice. Six months later, the Trust increased its commitment.
The initial Reinhardt Family Fellowship provides the recipients with full tuition plus expenses for a total of $42,000 over three years. The latest pledge will provide a second grant of $42,000 over three years.
The Reinhardt Foundation has made donations to a variety of institutions that serve those in need of financial assistance to continue their academic careers. “I was impressed with the mission of CCNY, which seems to me to be attempting to reach people who might have difficulties attending school,” said its chairman, Mark Reinhardt, adding that he was able to attend college and law school through room, board and tuition scholarships. “I never would have done any of that without scholarships. I did well and there is not much reason to wait until I'm dead to pass it along to help others.”
Reinhardt, who grew up in Rutherford, N.J., did not attend CCNY, but he remembers seeing subway advertisements for the College. “I always was impressed that they were trying to reach people who were riding the subways,” he said. “You don't see many ads there for Ivy League schools or schools that I went to, so it seems to me that's the demographic that we’re trying to help.”
“We are deeply grateful to the Reinhardt family for establishing this scholarship, which was inspired by their recognition of our economic impact and mission, leading them to choose CCNY as the recipient of their generous support,” said Annika Lüdke, director of corporate relations and foundation grants at The Foundation for City College.
“The generosity and enthusiasm of people such as Mark Reinhardt are not just greatly appreciated, but stand as testaments to College’s ongoing commitment to ensure that cost is not a barrier to education,” said Senior Vice President of the Office of Institutional Advancement, Communications and External Relations, Executive Director of the Foundation for City College, and Senior Advisor to the President Dee Dee Mozeleski. “This new gift is especially gratifying in that Mark is not an alumnus, but he found CCNY to be worthy of his support.”
The first scholarships will be awarded for the Fall 2025 semester.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Syd Steinhardt
212-650-7875
ssteinhardt@ccny.cuny.edu