The Julian Robertson Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes and celebrates outstanding New York City classroom teachers who are committed to: high quality-classroom instruction, impactful leadership in their school community, innovation and continuous learning, use of evidence and data in their teaching, and fostering engagement, joy, and a love of learning.
Named for renowned investor and philanthropist Julian Robertson, the Award recognizes up to ten teachers per year for outstanding classroom instruction and leadership within their school communities and provides them with a $20,000 unrestricted cash prize.
Julian Robertson Award for Excellence in Teaching Key Dates 2025-2026
| Nominations Open | September 16, 2025 |
| Teacher Submissions Close | October 30, 2025 |
| Select Teachers Invited to Share More Information | December 2025 |
| Class Visits | March 2026 |
| Winners Announced & Celebration! | 2026 |
Meet our Inaugural Class of Winners
From top left: Amy Matthusen (East-West School of International Studies, Queens), Barbara Zanzano (P.S. 032 Belmont, Bronx), Karleen Marcone (Northside Center Day School, Manhattan), Alicia Bharat (East-West School of International Studies, Queens), Rabab Elassa (KIPP STAR Harlem College Prep Elementary School, Manhattan), Emmanuel Perez (Bronx School of Law & Finance, Bronx), Kylie Rodriguez (MESA Charter High School, Brooklyn), Jessica Boyle (Knowledge & Power Preparatory Academy High School, Bronx), Lauren Lucksavage (Forte Preparatory Academy Charter School, Queens), Alan Kadlec (Young Women’s Leadership School, Bronx)
About Coleman Family Ventures
Coleman Family Ventures empowers forward-thinking changemakers to help spark positive transformation in our shared world. By fostering relationships with disruptors, investors, and communities, Coleman Family Ventures supports those closest to the issue, helping drive meaningful impact in areas such as early childhood, healthcare, and climate. To learn more, visit https://cfv.org/.
About Tiger Foundation
Tiger Foundation partners with community-based nonprofits that help individuals and families thrive and provides them with financial resources that allow them to build and maintain healthy and strong organizations. Through investments in its three core funding portfolios (Education; Family Support; and Youth, Workforce, and Justice) the foundation strives to meet the needs of New Yorkers experiencing poverty, with a particular focus on families, children, and young adults, and to enable the organizations that provide services to them to sustain and continually improve on their work.