$1M Awarded to Ten Projects Ending Disparities in Education and Building Generational Wealth
The Boulder Fund scales innovative solutions by leaders of color
LOS ANGELES— Today, Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC) announced that it has committed $1 million in Boulder Fund grants to support twelve leaders making notable headway to mitigate barriers perpetuating racial disparities in American life. The Boulder Fund is EdLoC’s multi-million dollar grant program created to support initiatives developed by leaders of color, which are focused on improving life outcomes for children of color across the country.
Sharhonda Bossier, EdLoC CEO, said “We are thrilled to help further the extraordinary innovations people of color are creating to ensure that children of color can build the bright futures they deserve. We created the Boulder Fund because leaders of color historically have had less access to the funding and social capital they need to grow the impact of their ventures at the most critical junctures of development. EdLoC’s vision is to foster the day when young people of color are thriving, building generational wealth, and facing fewer systemic barriers to capitalize on opportunities. We believe this is only possible if leaders of color are fully supported to implement their own solutions to the socio-economic challenges their communities face. “
Boulder Fund grants are awarded for a one-year period, in increments of at least $100,000. Projects are chosen for their holistic and cross-sector approaches in recognition that a focus on education alone limits the potential for children of color to build generational wealth. Previous grantees have focused on immigrant advocacy, teacher recruitment, youth advocacy for LGBTQ students of color, curriculum development, housing, health, and criminal justice. Since 2018, EdLoC has committed $4.1 million in grants and funded 32 organizations across the country.
More information on this year’s cohort is below and available here.
Angela Harvey-Bowen, Executive Director, 4th-Dimension Leaders for providing robust training and development programs specific to aspiring school leaders of high-need schools. 4th-Dimension is an organization dedicated to disrupting discrepancies in opportunity with the express goal to build internal capacity for schools to lead and sustain their own equity work.
Anpao Duta Flying Earth, Executive Director, NACA Inspired Schools Network (NISN) for supporting the reimagining of a decolonized, community-driven education system that is responsive to the strengths, needs, and perspectives of Indigenous communities. NISN’s mission is to transform Indigenous Education by engaging communities, building networked schools of academic excellence and cultural relevance, and serving students from early learning to adulthood so that they are academically prepared for college, secure in their identity, healthy, and holistically prepared as lifelong learners and leaders.
Ethan Ashley, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, School Board Partners for working to connect emerging, inspired, and diverse elected community leaders serving on local school boards with the training, support and mentorship needed to successfully push for high-quality, anti-racist school systems. For the last three years, School Board Partners developed and ran programming focused on building the knowledge and capacity of elected school board members of color.
Gabrielle Wyatt, CEO & Founder and Amanda Aiken, Strategic Initiatives, The Highland Project for their dedication to building and sustaining a pipeline of Black women leading communities, institutions, and systems, resulting in the creation of multi-generational wealth in their communities. Boulder Fund resources will be used to launch the first cohort of The Highland Project (THP) Leaders, an interdisciplinary and intergenerational cohort of 15 Black women leaders that spans 18 months and equips each leader with $100,000 in trusting capital.
Nakeyshia Kendall Williams, Founder & CEO, MindCatcher for working with educators to shift their mindset, practices, and systems to being more youth-led through cohort-based experiences, retreats and workshops. Starting in March 2022, MindCatcher will expand Collective Support to engage 12 systems, school and after-school site leaders of color who have decision-making authority and serve primarily youth of color in an 11-month cohort experience.
Reuben Ogbonna, Executive Director and Maya Bhattacharjee, Chief Program Officer, The Marcy Lab School for reimagining higher education and workforce development with one critical and timely mission: to create an accelerated pathway to high-growth technology careers for young adults from underestimated backgrounds. Now in their third year, The Marcy Lab School is preparing to serve an even broader student population by expanding beyond software engineering to other academic pathways.
Reyna Montoya, CEO & Founder, Aliento Education Fund who envisions community that nurtures human potential undefined by immigration status. Aliento transforms trauma into hope and action with undocumented, DACA, and mixed-immigration-status families. Directly affected youth lead Aliento, working with allies invested in the well-being, leadership development, and healing of those affected by the inequities of lacking an immigration status.
Saamra Mekuria-Grillo, CEO, Formation Ventures for accelerating emerging Black entrepreneurs, ages 16-26, as they explore, connect, launch, and grow their visions into wealth-building ventures. Formation Ventures’ approach incorporates identity-affirming online learning, peer learning groups, venture launch support, and funding.
Stephanie Parra, Executive Director, Arizona Latino Leaders In Education (ALL In Education) for seeking to address the systemic gaps in representation and opportunity that exist in the education system. To advance the work, ALL In Education will cultivate and develop the next generation of Latinos and leaders of color in education ready to lead transformational change across school systems.
Viridiana Carrizales, CEO & Co-Founder, ImmSchools for helping over 12,000 educators, undocumented students, and families in the past three years by providing professional development and workshops to ensure our schools are safe and inclusive for all students no matter their immigration status. Boulder Fund resources will strengthen ImmSchools’ advocacy capacity to further its reach beyond education and create sustainable change in pursuit of educational equity and immigrant justice.
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About EdLoC:
Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC) is a community of over 600 leaders of color working toward the day when young people of color are thriving, building generational wealth, and facing fewer systemic barriers to capitalize on opportunities. EdLoC aims to catalyze cross-sector collaboration through a network of values-aligned leaders, help drive policy change, and directly support senior leaders of color who are focused on dismantling systemic barriers to the academic and economic advancement and success of young people of color. To learn more about the Boulder Fund, please visit www.edloc.org.
