From 2019 to 2022, San Francisco Foundation invested in Youth Access to Opportunity (YAO), a three-year pilot to support youth in three high-needs neighborhoods to be on a path towards economic well-being by advancing educational equity in their schools. This was achieved through an experiment in pushing power down to school site leadership, empowering principals to allocate financial resources in support of three key areas:
- Positive School Climate: promoting services and practices that support social, emotional, academic, and long-term success for students.
- Teacher Retention and Support: providing professional development and support for teachers to strengthen learning environments.
- College and Career Readiness: preparing students to enter and succeed in post-secondary education and/or career opportunities.
Through research led by consultants and SFF staff, three schools were selected for funding: Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School in San Francisco Unified School District, Castlemont High School in Oakland Unified School District, and John F. Kennedy High School in West Contra Costa Unified School District. Beyond evidence of public and private disinvestment, these three high schools were selected because they represent deep history in the battle over integration and educational equality in the Bay Area.
We could not have possibly known that the pandemic would arrive halfway through the first year of our pilot! More than we initially planned, this flexible funding was critical to meeting the most urgent needs of our Bay Area schools. We have created this Give Guide to continue the support of the YAO school sites and their non-profit partners.
John F. Kennedy High School, Richmond
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: West Contra Costa Public Education Fund
Purpose: John F. Kennedy High School
Castlemont High School, Oakland
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: Castlemont High School
Purpose: General Support
Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School, San Francisco
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: Spark SF Public Schools
Purpose: Philip and Sala Burton Academic High School
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic, San Francisco
Based in Bayview Hunters Point, 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic provides primary, physical and sexual health care services and programs for young people ages 12-24 living in the Bayview neighborhood. They are a key partner of Burton High School and support their students’ physical and mental health care needs. 3rd Street provides counseling services, youth development programs, rapid re-housing, access to the City’s Coordinated Entry System, and housing-focused case management.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic
Purpose: General Support
Black Organizing Project, Oakland
Working for racial, social and economic justice in Black Communities, Black Organizing Project works through grassroots community organizing for systems change and leadership development of students and parents. Recently, BOP led the nation in disbanding Oakland Unified School District’s police department and reallocating the funding for more counselors, restorative coordinators and other student supports.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: Black Organizing Project
Purpose: General Support
Burton Wellness Center, San Francisco
The Burton Wellness Center serves students at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School by helping navigate health resources and supporting students’ mental and physical health. The Wellness Center offers resources to both students and their families and strive to serve all communities by having bilingual staff and interpreters for non-English speaking families.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: Spark SF Public Schools
Purpose: Burton Wellness Center at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School
New Life Movement, Richmond
New Life Movement provides violence prevention, educational, and career training programs for at-risk youth, including students at Kennedy High School. New Life Movement programs allow for youth to work with one another on project-based activities in safe spaces and as a result help to reduce truancy, change negative behavior patterns, and softening tensions between so called rival factors.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: New Life Movement
Purpose: General Support
Oakland Kids First, Oakland
Oakland Kids First (OKF) works to increase youth voice, leadership and power to create engaging and equitable public schools where all students learn and lead. They believe students are the experts of their own experience and therefore equipped to evaluate, innovate, and govern the institutions that are supposed to serve them. OKF trains hundreds of high-school leaders each year who work to advance safe and caring school cultures, academic success, and educational equity campaigns that center the needs of underserved Oakland students.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: Oakland Kids First
Purpose: General Support
Richmond Promise, Richmond
Richmond Promise is a city-wide scholarship initiative that supports students from Richmond that want to attend a 4-year or Community College after High School. They offer $1,500/ year scholarships, plus mentorship, coaching, internships, and virtual workshops to college students to help them persist year-to-year and graduate with a college degree.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: Richmond Promise
Purpose: General Support
Samoan Community Development Center, San Francisco
Samoan Community Development Center (SCDC) provides access to services and resources for the Samoan and Pacific Islanders community to thrive. Over the past 25 years SCDC has built programs that support youth, families and community elders through case management, mental health and wellness education and awareness, re-entry support as well as after-school and summer programs that provide academic support and cultural education.
Donor Center Specifics:
Grantee Name: Samoan Community Development Center
Purpose: General Support
Please contact donorservices@sff.org to learn more or for assistance with customized giving recommendations.
