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Philanthropist and billionaire heiress Liz Simons, who donated $250,000 to New Yorkers for Lower Costs, a PAC supporting Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, oversees a foundation that is reportedly behind the push to bring “woke math” to public schools.
Critics told the New York Post that the math program was aimed at turning children into socialist revolutionaries.
While a typical math problem challenges a child to answer a quantitative question, race-neutral math incorporates social issues into questions and doesn’t focus on numbers alone. The outlet noted that while the approach has been embraced in states like California, others, including Florida, have rejected it.
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A billionaire donor to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani reportedly supports “woke math” initiatives. (Skynesher/Getty Images)
The Heising-Simons Foundation, which Simons co-founded with her husband, Mark Heising, has given $1.7 million since 2023 to the Racial Justice in Early Mathematics (RJEM) Project at Chicago’s Erikson Institute, according to the Post.
RJEM was established in December 2019 and led by Dr. Jennifer McCray, of the Erikson Institute, and Dr. Danny Bernard Martin, of the University of Illinois Chicago. A January 2023 press release by the Erikson Institute says the project “focuses on addressing issues of systemic racial injustices in the math education of young learners.”
A Zohran Mamdani canvasser in Prospect Park wears an “Educators for Zohran” t-shirt alongside a group of fellow teachers. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
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The statement goes on to describe RJEM’s main goals as identifying issues of racial injustice in early math that spark “difficult (and often uncomfortable) conversations” about racism and offer educators the opportunity to develop practices “that foster racial justice.”
On its website, the Heising-Simons Foundation says its mission is “to advance sustainable solutions in climate and clean energy, enable groundbreaking research in science, enhance the education of our youngest learners and support human rights for all people.”
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani spoke to supporters at a canvass launch event in Prospect Park on Aug. 17, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
Mamdani, a self-described Democratic socialist, stunned observers when he secured the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor in June.
Despite his far-left stances, Mamdani has gotten the backing of Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. Another establishment Democrat, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., meanwhile, has been more cautious of Mamdani.
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Mamdani has also been supported by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and he hosted an event on Saturday in Brooklyn with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Heising-Simons Foundation for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
