The philanthropist George Soros plans to commit $35-million to an effort that will provide a $200 back-to-school bonus for each of more than 850,000 low-income children in New York State this fall, The New York Times reports.

Mr. Soros’s gift follows a $50-million challenge commitment that he announced in May at the Robin Hood Foundation’s annual gala to fight poverty in New York, the newspaper says. Together, the two gifts represent a new emphasis on poverty in his adopted city of New York since the economic downtown, the newspaper says.