Goldman Sachs backs LearnWell to expand student mental‑health and academic continuity services

Wall Street Firm Moves into Classroom Care

Goldman Sachs is stepping up its sustainable investing footprint in U.S. education and mental health by backing LearnWell, a provider of academic continuity and therapeutic services for students. The Sustainable Investing arm of Goldman Sachs Alternatives announces an investment aimed at expanding access to in‑person and virtual services for children and adolescents who are absent from school because of mental and behavioral health needs. The deal underscores a growing trend of financial firms targeting social outcomes alongside returns.

Goldman frames the partnership as a scaling play to deepen ties between hospitals, school districts and families. LearnWell reports more than 250 educators serving over 7,700 school districts and teaching about 51,000 students annually through roughly 629,000 hours of instruction. Richard Waitumbi, Managing Director in Sustainable Investing at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, says the capital will help accelerate growth and extend reach so more students receive critical supports.

The funding is earmarked to expand clinician training, increase virtual care capacity, invest in technology, and build measurement systems to track academic and mental health outcomes. LearnWell CEO Kathleen Egger describes the alliance as pivotal to broadening the company’s footprint while preserving its mission to keep chronically absent students on track and facilitate school re‑entry. The investment signals Goldman’s continued push to deploy alternatives capital into services that blend social impact with scalable business models.

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