Businessman and philanthropist George A. Weiss founded Say Yes to Education, Inc. in 1987, initially making a promise to 112 sixth graders at Belmont Elementary School in Philadelphia that he would cover the expenses of their college tuition if they graduated from high school.Barrientos, Tanya. "For George A. Weiss, giving is about fulfilling a pledge" , Penn Current, March 4, 2010, accessed November 17, 2010. According to David Callahan, Weiss was "directly inspired by Eugene Lang, a philanthropist who made a similar promise to sixth-graders in Harlem, New York in 1981 and then set up the 'I Have a Dream' Foundation to spread this promise to more students."Callahan, David. "Saying Yes in Syracuse", The American Prospect, November 16, 2009, accessed November 17, 2010.
