Lazard Ltd (NYSE: LAZ) and New Visions for Public Schools announced today the launch of the Lazard New Visions Academy, a signature initiative funded by the Lazard Foundation that provides New York City public high school students access to post-secondary readiness opportunities and social capital through a five-week summer institute and ongoing career development support.

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In partnership with New Visions for Public Schools, the two-year pilot of the Academy (2021-2022) will serve 600 rising 11th and 12th graders, who are enrolled in public high schools that are part of the New Visions network. The program’s objective is to offer the participating students exposure to the financial services sector through Lazard and its employees and to develop career-readiness skills that will support their future success in a broad range of careers.

“Historically, high schools have focused on preparing students primarily for graduation and college. We believe it is just as critical to provide high school students chances to explore their career interests,” said Mark Dunetz, President of New Visions. “The Lazard New Visions Academy introduces New York City high school students to the world of careers in finance, one of our City's key industries but one which is currently inaccessible to most public high school students.”

“The Lazard New Visions Academy reflects Lazard’s commitment to creating opportunities and building social capital for students from under-resourced communities,” said Kenneth Jacobs, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lazard. “The Academy’s model is a replicable and scalable model for private sector partnerships with public schools, and we hope it will inspire other companies to launch similar programs.”

About Lazard

Lazard, one of the world's preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms, operates from more than 40 cities across 25 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central and South America. With origins dating to 1848, the firm provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, strategic matters, restructuring and capital structure, capital raising and corporate finance, as well as asset management services to corporations, partnerships, institutions, governments and individuals. For more information on Lazard, please visit www.lazard.com. Follow Lazard at @Lazard.

About the Lazard Foundation

The Lazard Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations in the U.S. that support education for children, adolescents and young adults. Established in 2018, the Foundation provides both financial and volunteer support to our nonprofit partners as well as employee engagement, team building, and leadership opportunities for our people in serving our education partners.

About New Visions for Public Schools

For more than 30 years, New Visions has been at the heart of groundbreaking, real improvement in New York City public schools. We have opened more than 130 new schools, launched a nationally-recognized teacher residency program, and developed student planning tools and high school curriculum in use across New York city. Our impact shows in improving outcomes for students: the high school graduation rate, less than 50 percent citywide when we were founded, now exceeds 85 percent in our partner networks. Today, we support more than 1050 schools serving 600,000 students, helping them tackle their toughest challenges and realizing a shared vision of a high-quality public education for all New Yorkers.

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