training and funded it with a $25 million pledge from his charitable foundation, the Simons Foundation. Simons pledged an additional $25 million in 2006.

In the initial program, people who were accepted into the program who had degrees in math but were not teachers received a stipend of about $18,000 per year for five years from MfA in addition to their salaries and received free tuition to a high quality one year Master's program in teaching, as well as mentoring and professional development