In Berkeley, a city known for its resources and progressive values, 1 in 3 students face socio-economic barriers, contributing to one of the nation’s largest achievement gaps. Guided by our mission to champion equitable public education, the Berkeley Public Schools Fund is dedicated to bridging opportunity gaps district-wide, ensuring resources reach the areas of greatest need. Basic needs are the foundation of learning. When students arrive at school hungry, they struggle to focus, participate, or [...more...]
Tylon Sizemore Last Spring, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) led its 11th annual Quest for Democracy (Q4D), a day of critical advocacy turning out hundreds of people to converge on the Capitol to [...more...]
Giving List Matching Challenges
Youth Development
How can we ensure young people have healthy, promising futures? By giving them the resources, relationships, and environments that support […more…]
Sherry “Dusty” Harris was a single mother raising three daughters in a subsidized housing complex in the Western Addition of […more…]
Soccer and poetry may seem like an unusual pairing, but America SCORES Bay Area knows it’s a magical mix with […more…]
Well Being & Health
Growing up as a gay, Black man in Oakland, George Jackson has strong ties to the community he serves. The […more…]
Across the world, indigenous leaders fighting for their communities’ rights face immense threats – violence, displacement, and persecution for standing […more…]
Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. (PVI) was founded over 76 years ago in Menlo Park by a group of forward-thinking women in […more…]
Getting the Message Out
Maty Thiane was a 14-year-old teenager from Senegal when she was uprooted from all she knew and loved and moved […more…]
Rhett Ayers Butler describes himself as a lucky child. With collected airline miles from his father’s job and a travel […more…]
Fostering Care
“What appeals to me so much about A Home Within is the kind of person that makes the commitment to […more…]
Sarah Gentle was 17 and in foster care when she had a meeting with her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team. […more…]
Emergency Services
SDF-trained human remains detection (HRD) team Jon Munguia & Clifford of Los Angeles County Fire Department and live-find SDF-trained teams Josh Davis & […more…]
How many times has a family stared in slack-jawed wonder as the adorable new family dog tears around and around […more…]
Santa Barbara-based Direct Relief has been awarded the 2025 Seoul Peace Prize for its longstanding humanitarian work in delivering medical resources to […more…]
Education
Although Berkeley is less than an hour’s drive from the hub of Silicon Valley, the region’s innovation and resources remain […more…]
Imagine a high school student in the 90th percentile or higher of their class who is enthusiastic about learning and […more…]
“Your life won’t work out if you don’t do well in school.” “You’re a disappointment or a failure if you […more…]
Advocacy
Legal Services for Children deeply believes that every youth deserves to grow up feeling safe and nurtured. Unfortunately, there are […more…]
Last Spring, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) led its 11th annual Quest for Democracy (Q4D), a day of […more…]
Youth Speaks alumni include an Obama speechwriter, the founder of a Black-owned media tech company, and the youngest inaugural Poet […more…]
A Helping Hand
Xochtil Larios was only 16 when she found herself behind bars and caught up in the criminal justice system. She […more…]
A mom in East Palo Alto went to jail for stealing diapers; her kids went to foster care. According to […more…]