Founded in West Hollywood in 2008, Learn To Be has grown from a local tutoring initiative into a national platform — but our deepest roots remain in LA County.
Today, 2,300+ LA County students and 1,555 LA-based tutors are connected through our free, one-on-one virtual tutoring programs.
Learn To Be was founded in 2008 by Neeraj Kapoor, a software engineer in West Hollywood who saw that free, high-quality tutoring could transform outcomes for kids who couldn't afford it.
What started as a local initiative has scaled to 447,000+ hours of free tutoring and 21,000+ students served nationally — a 52× growth since 2019.
But LA County remains our largest regional footprint: 2,307 students, 1,555 tutors, five active university chapters, and a growing intergenerational tutoring program.
Each program addresses a different dimension of the tutoring gap — and each has a strong, existing presence in Los Angeles.
Free, online, weekly 1:1 sessions for K-12 students — focused on foundational math and reading (K-9). Students are matched with a consistent tutor via our custom matching engine, typically within one week. Each student can have up to two tutors (e.g., math + reading).
Our custom-built learning platform integrates AI (Anthropic & OpenAI models) with learning science to provide structured math and reading courses. Tutors use Coursekit as a guide during sessions, enabling measurable progress tracking beyond anecdotal feedback.
Retired teachers and professionals volunteer as tutors through our 50+ program. These are LTB's most consistent and highest-impact tutors — they show up every week, build deep relationships with students, and bring decades of expertise to each session.
Established chapters at UCLA (66 tutors), LMU (20 Federal Work Study tutors), Geffen Academy at UCLA (3 tutors), plus nearby Chapman University (57 FWS) and UC Riverside (47 CA College Corps + 45 chapter/FWS). Our Tutor Corps program offers a 200-hour commitment with a $1,000 award.
Learn To Be has grown into one of the largest free tutoring programs in the country — all powered by volunteers.
LA County students — particularly those in low-income communities — are still recovering from pandemic-era learning disruptions. Foundational math and reading skills are the gateway to every other subject, and too many students lack access to the consistent, individualized support they need.
Learn To Be's model — free, one-on-one, weekly sessions with a consistent tutor — is exactly what the research says works. And at $6.33 per hour, it scales in a way most interventions can't.
The Joseph Drown Foundation's focus on K-12 education, college access, tutoring, and math & literacy development aligns precisely with Learn To Be's mission and programs.
We're not creating something new for this partnership — we're asking for support to deepen and expand programs that already serve LA County every day.
A regional partnership grant would enable us to grow our LA-specific impact: more students matched, more tutors recruited, and measurable outcomes through our new Coursekit platform.
Review this program overview
Annie is happy to discuss any questions, share additional data, or set up a deeper dive
Application submission for September board review
Joseph Drown Foundation board meeting