Our Approach

  • Our Vision

    Every student receives a public education that prepares them to thrive as adults in the Bay Area.

  • Our Mission

    Build a community investment fund

    that catalyzes local movements and transforms district capacity

    by bringing together families, communities, educators, district leaders, and philanthropy to co-design and realize a bold vision for students by implementing proven solutions that dramatically improve student experiences and outcomes.

  • Our Goal

    Over the next 10 years, we will prove a new model for systemic, sustainable district improvement by investing in multiple school systems to dramatically improve student experiences and outcomes- including reading and math proficiency, high school graduation and college entrance rates for more than 50,000 low-income students in the Bay Area.

Our approach is grounded in four foundational beliefs.

  • Impactful and sustainable systems change requires collective leadership.

    We invest in the individual and collective leadership of local community and district leaders as they partner on a shared vision for students.

    Much is expected of schools and school systems; we believe that a coalition of nonprofits, government agencies, and civic organizations can better meet the full needs of students and families by working together. We believe investments in the leadership of those closest to students - students, families, and educators - are foundational.

  • A co-designed vision for students can anchor and align work across stakeholders for decades.

    We invest in a deeply inclusive and authentic co-design process grounded in the experiences of the most marginalized students and families.

    Our process creates the opportunity to hear from thousands of students, educators, and families. Because “change moves at the speed of trust”, we invest heavily in relationship and trust-building. Community conversations culminate Portrait of a Graduate.

  • Districts dramatically improve students experiences and outcomes when they commit to a coherent strategy and implement aligned, research-based effective practices.

    We invest in district partners to support capacity building in the areas of change management, instructional improvement, talent, family engagement, and equitable resource allocation.

    Building on the foundation of a shared vision for students, we will work with community and district partners to set ambitious goals for student experiences and outcomes. Then we will agree upon a coherent strategic framework and invest in capacity building across the framework to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable approach.

  • We are reimagining the role philanthropy can play in supporting systems change.

    We invest in communities to develop and realize their vision for students, which requires investing for the long term because real change takes time.

    We strive to be a philanthropic fund that invests in “how” leaders work together on bold ideas. Once a vision and priorities are set, we invest in long-term community and district capacity-building to realize the vision and achieve the priorities. We commit to communities through the inevitable ups and downs, staff and elected leadership transitions, and budget challenges. We know that when times get bumpy is when it’s most important that we commit to each other.