Request for Applications for Education Blueprint for Boys and Men of Color (California)

The Education Blueprint for Boys and Men of Color grants will support the development of a five-year regional education system blueprint to increase the number of boys and men of color pursuing and completing a post-secondary degree or career technical certificate program by 2030.

Donor Name: Sierra Health Foundation

State: California

County: Fresno County (CA), Kern County (CA), Kings County (CA), Madera County (CA), Mariposa County (CA), Merced County (CA), Sacramento County (CA), San Joaquin County (CA), Stanislaus County (CA), Tulare County (CA)

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 10/17/2024

Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000

Grant Duration: 1 Year

Details:

The CFBMoC Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Regional Action Committee (SSJV RAC) is made up of member foundations Sierra Health Foundation, Sacramento Region Community Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, Stuart Foundation, NextGen Policy, ECMC Foundation, Sobrato Philanthropies and The California Endowment.

To improve educational outcomes of boys and men of color in Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Mariposa, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern counties, CFBMoC will invest in key grassroots and advocacy organizations to support deeper engagement and policy, and systems change that will improve access to and completion of post-secondary degrees and certificate programs. CFBMoC will also invest in comprehensive training and technical assistance for the cohort of funded organizations, which will inform how to strengthen emerging solutions to address some of California’s most pressing educational barriers for boys and men of color.

Priorities

CFBMoC seeks to support and partner with regional leaders to transform policies, systems and institutions through its place-based strategy, via a combination of four priorities:

Priority 1: Address school climate, communications, mental well-being and accountability.
Priority 2: Strengthen pipelines from K-12 school districts and county office of education-run schools to community college and/or four-year university for justice involved and/or system impacted boys and men of color.
Priority 3: Organize power-building efforts and awareness of the fiscal and policy landscape at the city, county, state and/or federal level to identify opportunities to leverage governmental resources that could improve outcomes for BMoC.
Priority 4: Align County Offices of Education programs and schools inside and outside juvenile detention facilities, community colleges and four-year universities that offer justice-involved students’ opportunities and services in detention facilities and on campus.

Funding Information

California Funders for Boys and Men of Color (CFBMoC) will award a total of $300,000 in grants.
Up to $25,000 for 1 year for 501(c)(3) community-based organizations, Tribal organizations and coalitions/collaboratives.

Eligibility Criteria

This funding opportunity is open to nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and working in the CFBMoC Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley funding region. Fiscal sponsors for entities not qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible to apply if the project meets the criteria.

The most competitive applications will:

Capitalize on existing, strong community leadership and infrastructure focused on building alliances and coalitions that help advance policy and system change campaigns aimed at improving the educational climates of local K-12 and Higher Education institutions where boys and men of color attend in Sacramento and/or San Joaquin counties.
Leverage existing boys and men of color-related investments made by CFBMoC members—particularly those focused on dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, addressing school climate and uplifting opportunities for English Learners.
Leverage public and private leadership to focus attention on boys and men of color policy issues, such as the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice, Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color, My Brother’s Keeper cities, etc.
Demonstrate work that explicitly supports health and racial equity and operates across intersecting issues to improve educational outcomes for boys and men of color.

Eligible organizations must operate within at least one of the following counties: