The Bentzen Silverman Foundation story begins with reading.
As early champions of the science of reading, Jayne Bentzen and Benedict Silverman supported high-impact tutoring decades before evidence-based literacy was widely embraced in school curricula. They saw particular potential in Reading Go! (then Reading Rescue), an early-literacy tutoring model designed for students in grades K–2. Beginning in 1998, they funded efforts to bring the model into elementary schools across the country, including New York City, their home and the largest public school district in the country.
For Jayne and Benedict, the goal was to ensure children from every socioeconomic background had the support they needed to become confident readers. As Benedict stated, “If a kid doesn't learn to read, where will they go? If they learn to read, they have a chance.”
In 2012, the couple established the Bentzen Silverman Foundation to expand the reach of Reading Go!. After Benedict’s passing in 2016, Jayne continued their shared commitment to evidence-based reading instruction. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, BSF became the founding supporter of CUNY Reading Fellows (then CUNY Reading Corps), making high-impact virtual tutoring possible during a time of major educational disruption.
This work aligned with a broader shift in literacy education, as pandemic learning loss brought renewed attention to structured reading. By 2024, more than 40 states had adopted policies grounded in reading science. To date, BSF has helped over 20,000 K–2 students learn to read, supporting more than 260,000 tutoring sessions and helping ensure a future where every child who needs help can become a confident reader.
With support from BSF, Reading Go! is delivered at low- or no-cost to public school students and organizations across the US and internationally. Reading Go! is distributed through The Reading Institute (TRI).
In Memory of our Founder, Benedict Silverman (1929–2016)
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Benedict Silverman was a real estate developer, art collector, and philanthropist. In his early career, he transformed himself several times—from coin-laundry operator to mortgage broker—finding success in the late 1970s as an early adopter of the sale-leaseback model, working closely with founders such as Sam Walton to lead Walmart's national expansion.
Benedict believed in “giving a kid a chance.” In 1993, on a visit to his alma mater, the University of Florida in Gainesville, he was introduced to the principles behind the science of reading. He and his wife, Jayne Bentzen, founded the Bentzen Silverman Foundation and became champions of the tutoring intervention Reading Go, which became the cornerstone of their philanthropy.
Benedict had two children with his first wife, Gerry Lou Rose Silverman, who passed away in 1985. In 1989, he married Jayne Bentzen, and the couple had one child. When Benedict passed away in 2016 at the age of 87, he was survived by his wife Jayne, three children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He never lost his Brooklyn accent.