Alternatives in Action was established to develop effective citizens who can act on their own behalf and that of others. It accomplishes its mission through a youth-designed charter high school, an after-school and summer leadership program, and a licensed preschool and learning center. Alternatives in Action, who serves 400 youth each year, is moving to a new facility where it can expand its youth programs and, in collaboration with other Alameda youth-serving organizations housed in the same facility, create a hub of youth services. A grant from W&EHF supports a planning process to align renovations of the new facility with program needs. The five-month process will involve community stakeholders, and produce a plan that reflects the needs of Alternatives in Action's young people and other youth who will use the new facility.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 01/29/2008 through 06/29/2008
Project Web Site: www.alternativesinaction.org

The California Budget Project (CBP) produces timely, well-balanced research and analysis of how state budget policies affect low- and middle-income families. It produces easy-to-read reports, newsletters, and briefing papers on the state budget as well as on specific fiscal policies' effect on education, taxation, workforce development, and health and human services. CBP's work is frequently cited by policymakers, nonprofits, foundations, and the media. This grant is funded jointly by W&EHF's Education Program and by its mission-related grantmaking, which is providing general support.
Grant Amount: $85,000 [2008] , $85,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 07/11/2008 through 07/11/2010
Project Web Site: www.cbp.org

Californians for Justice was founded on the theory that the people most affected by a problem should be at the forefront of solving it. To that end, participating youth surveyed their high school peers to identify their greatest needs. College access, they found, was one of the biggest challenges facing Oakland high school students, so they launched the Can You See Me in College? campaign at their school sites to increase college preparation resources. Californians for Justice will collaborate with youth and educators to increase the number of college counselors in Oakland public high schools and increase students' access to preparatory courses for four-year universities. The youth also will make presentations in classrooms and at clubs, informing 1,500 students about their options for attending college, encouraging them to fulfill course requirements, and educating them about how statewide college-readiness policies affect local schools.
Grant Amount: $40,000 [2008] , $40,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 03/31/2008 through 03/31/2010
Project Web Site: www.caljustice.org

Chinese for Affirmative Action established the Visitation Valley Parents Association (the Association) in 2005 to bring together Chinese immigrant and limited-English-speaking parents and provide them with the training, support, and structure to become educational advocates. The Visitation Valley Parents Association is expanding its core programming. Staff and parent leaders will have greater roles and responsibilities at their school sites, join decision-making teams such as School Site Councils, and train new members.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2007], $50,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 07/09/2007 through 07/09/2009
Project Web Site: www.caasf.org

Fiscal Sponsor: CIF of the San Francisco Foundation
The Parent Advisory Council has become an important parent resource during the last three years. Its 18 members, all parents of San Francisco school district students from diverse racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, accurately mirror the city's demographic profile. One Council role is to advise the Board of Education on other parents' behalf about district policies that are being considered; the other is to show as many parents as possible how to participate in governance at their children's schools-serving on the school site council, for example-and at the district-level. Over the next year, under the leadership of a new superintendent, SFUSD will make decisions that will determine its direction for years to come. As a diverse and representative body, the Council is poised to reach parents from a wide range of communities, including those typically under-represented in education policy issues.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 03/31/2008 through 03/31/2009
Project Web Site: portal.sfusd.edu/template/default.cfm?page=parent_advisory

Fiscal Sponsor: CIF of the San Francisco Foundation
The Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network (PLAN) facilitates parent dialogue and networking, provides them with training and leadership development opportunities, and acts as a hub for information-sharing and action among diverse communities. Each year, PLAN holds a training for parent organizations and parent leaders, and hosts Parent Leadership Action Forums. PLAN is expanding its work by providing follow-up training to parents and parent trainers who participated in the Training of Trainers program; refining and updating the curriculum; and coaching staff of family resource centers. PLAN also intends to expand the number of Bay Area parents and parent organizations served.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2007], $60,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 07/09/2007 through 07/09/2009
Project Web Site: www.parentactionnet.org

Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth (Coleman Advocates) has advocated for youth and families in San Francisco for 30 years. In 2007, it developed a five-year strategic plan that identifies two target areas for the organization: educational equity and affordable housing. Coleman Advocates has received funding from W&EHF to assist low- and moderate-income parents to be effective advocates for quality public schools for all children, including their own. It will provide this assistance through training on a broad range of school-related topics such as governance, finance, academic programs, and testing. In addition, Coleman Advocates will support parents as they work to improve academic programs and close the achievement gap.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2008] , $60,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 03/31/2008 through 03/31/2010
Project Web Site: www.colemanadvocates.org

EdSource provides reliable, impartial information to educators, policymakers, the media, and the general public about California's public education policy issues. This grant supports a redesigned Website that will allow staff to update the material more quickly and will make it easier for the public to use.
Grant Amount: $30,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 05/23/2008 through 05/23/2009
Project Web Site: www.edsource.org

The Oakland Small Schools Foundation helps small schools in the Oakland Unified School District to identify, secure, and manage resources for needs that would otherwise be under funded. Last year, it supported two small schools and parent engagement programs collaborating to mentor two schools with new programs. This year, the collaborative will deepen its work to develop parent leadership and participation and will add an additional school. All five schools serve linguistically and racially diverse families, most at or below the poverty level who speak English as a second language.
Grant Amount: $75,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 07/11/2008 through 07/11/2009
Project Web Site: www.smallschoolsfoundation.org

Pacific News Service's New America Media project expands ethnic media's capacity to write in-depth stories on educational issues by providing translations and conducting a fellowship program. This grant helps bring together ethnic media fellows and experienced mainstream reporters and experts in policy, education reform, and data analysis.
Grant Amount: $30,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 07/14/2008 through 07/14/2009
Project Web Site: news.newamericamedia.org/news

Parent Institute for Quality Education (Parent Institute) promotes parent involvement in schools through a program that helps parents understand the critical role they play in education and the importance of expressing high expectations to their children. The program also covers how to establish open communications with school staff and navigate the school system, and outlines the requirements for college eligibility. Parent Institute will provide training to Oakland parents, to help them navigate the public school system and help their children improve their academic performance.
Grant Amount: $20,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 11/18/2008 through 11/18/2009
Project Web Site: www.piqe.org

Many parents find it challenging to navigate the bureaucracy within a large urban school district. Parents for Public Schools has become a trusted source of information and assistance, encouraging families to enroll their children in public schools by helping with the application procedures and publicizing public schools and their programs. In recent years, the organization expanded its work to include extensive outreach to parents in underserved communities. This grant provides general operating support to Parents for Public Schools to focus on organizational capacity building.
Grant Amount: $100,000 [2007], $100,000 [2008] , $100,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 11/27/2007 through 11/27/2010
Project Web Site: www.parents4publicschools.com

The Park Day School, a private school, supports Oakland public schools that serve low-income students. When the school was founded in 1992, it established a formal community outreach program to connect students, families, and staff to what was happening outside the school's borders. Park Day deepened its outreach to public schools significantly in 2005: It established a particularly successful partnership with Emerson Elementary that includes an extensive reading buddies program in which older kids read to younger kids; it shared professional development for Park Day and Emerson teachers; and it launched a mindfulness program in which students learn to 'pause, reflect, and consider' before taking action. Park established less extensive but still significant collaborations with two other public schools bordering its campus. W&EHF is supporting Park Day's expanded work cultivating partnerships between public and private schools. While maintaining its public school programs, Park Day staff will assist other private schools to develop similar public-private partnerships.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2008] , $50,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 03/31/2008 through 03/31/2010
Project Web Site: www.parkdayschool.org

The Bridge-to-Success Refugee Youth Development Program provides refugee youth with academic and social-emotional support and helps their parents develop English language skills so they can participate more actively in their children's education. Bridge-to-Success trains volunteer tutors and mentors, then pairs them with refugee students and their parents. The volunteers provide at-home or on-site tutoring, English instruction, and assistance understanding the American public school system.
Grant Amount: $20,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 11/19/2008 through 11/19/2009
Project Web Site: www.reftrans.org

Fiscal Sponsor: Regents of the University of California
The Center for Cities and Schools promotes understanding between educators and urban policy makers in order to bring the support of civic agencies and community organizations to public schools. The Center, along with Bay Area educators and civic leaders, is implementing a three-year action plan to cultivate best practices and potential strategies for community-school collaborations that includes curriculum and professional development workshops.
Grant Amount: $150,000 [2006], $150,000 [2007], $150,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 12/11/2006 through 12/11/2009
Project Web Site: citiesandschools.berkeley.edu

San Francisco School Volunteers (School Volunteers) recruits, screens, trains, and places volunteers in public schools where students will benefit most from their skills and expertise. School Volunteers' two-phase strategic plan provides more comprehensive, targeted services to 36 underperforming schools (phase one started with six schools) and measures the impact of volunteer services on student achievement at those sites. Now in its second phase, School Volunteers is expanding its volunteer service model to the 30 remaining focus schools.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2007], $50,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 03/29/2007 through 03/29/2009
Project Web Site: www.sfsv.org

In fall 2003, Small Schools for Equity opened June Jordan High School for Equity, an innovative small public high school in southeast San Francisco that provides small classes, challenging curricula, teacher professional development and collaboration, and parent involvement. This grant supports service learning opportunities that build leadership skills, knowledge of community needs, basic work habits, and relationships with adult mentors. Major goals are to full integrate the service learning with core academics, strengthen relationships with mentors, and institutionalize the program. In addition, the organization will disseminate learnings and best practices to the broader education community through conferences, publications, and site visits.
Grant Amount: $75,000 [2008] , $75,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 11/21/2008 through 11/21/2010
Project Web Site: www.jjse.org

Youth in Focus trains, consults with, and coaches high school students and adults so that they can work together to bring youth perspectives to community decision-makers. Students learn to think critically by collecting and analyzing data and developing recommendations based on their findings. This grant supports teachers in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco in using the curriculum and will also build the capacity of school sites to incorporate youth-led research into ongoing improvement efforts.
Grant Amount: $35,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 07/14/2008 through 07/14/2009
Project Web Site: www.youthinfocus.net

Youth Together works to improve the conditions of public school campuses through youth organizing. As a direct result of a student campaign run by Youth Together members, Oakland Unified School District began a program to foster meaningful student engagement in the fall of 2006. The program supports the development of youth centers at Oakland high schools at which young people receive academic support services and work together on campaigns to improve the condition of their schools. The district and Youth Together continue to work together closely: The district's youth program draws from Youth Together's curriculum, and the organization advises the district on its implementation. Besides its ongoing work with the district, Youth Together operates its own programs, which include student clubs and youth centers at six Oakland high schools. Youth Together also convenes and leads Organize Da BAY, a regional network of youth organizations that work to coordinate youth services and improve schools. W&EHF supports Youth Together's school-based and district wide programs in Oakland.
Grant Amount: $80,000 [2008] , $80,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 03/31/2008 through 03/31/2010
Project Web Site: www.youthtogether.net

Youth Treatment and Education Center (YTEC) is an alternative high school that offers a comprehensive set of educational and therapeutic services for troubled youth who have come into contact with the juvenile justice system. With this grant, YTEC is conducting a multi-year evaluation to improve services, and document and share best practices.
Grant Amount: $35,000 [2006], $25,000 [2007], $25,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 09/18/2006 through 09/18/2009
Project Web Site: www.ytecsf.org

The Developmental Studies Center helps teachers in schools and after-school programs to foster children's academic, ethical, social, and emotional development. The Caring School Community curriculum has been implemented in 20 elementary schools in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) over the last five years. Results demonstrate continued improvement in students' academic achievement, strengthened attachment to school, and reduced problem behaviors. SFUSD is committing funds to expand the curriculum to new schools and deepen its implementation in current schools. This grant supports both activities.
Grant Amount: $100,000 [2008] , $100,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 07/11/2008 through 07/11/2010
Project Web Site: www.devstu.org

OAEC launched its School Garden Teacher Training and Support Program in response to the training, curriculum, technical, and resources challenges faced by many school garden projects. OAEC is expanding the program's Low-Income School Project, providing a complete professional development package with training and follow-up support to teams of teachers, parents, and staff from 25 Bay Area public schools.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 11/10/2008 through 11/10/2009
Project Web Site: www.oaec.org

On the Move's Reach Institute for School Leadership (Reach) is a teacher-designed credentialing and leadership program. It emphasizes job-embedded coaching in which coaches and peers observe new teachers in the classroom and provide training them based on individualized learning plans. Reach also is piloting a Leadership Academy to support educational leaders who want to build state-of-the-art schools or other education nonprofits.
Grant Amount: $100,000 [2008] , $100,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 07/11/2008 through 07/11/2010
Project Web Site: www.onthemovebayarea.org

Partners in School Innovation has a strong track record of helping close the achievement gap in low-performing public schools by working with district leaders to plan district wide improvements; convening district administrators, principals, and teachers to guide implementation in all schools; and intensively coaching principals and teachers at selected schools on how to increase students' reading proficiency. Partners in School Innovation continues to collaborate closely with the San Francisco Unified School District in this work.
Grant Amount: $75,000 [2008] , $75,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 07/11/2008 through 07/11/2010
Project Web Site: www.partnersinschools.org

The San Francisco Education Fund has a long history of collaborating with the city's school district on issues related to teachers. Three years ago, with support from W&EHF, the Ed Fund launched the Public Engagement Initiative, beginning with public meetings about student enrollment, recruitment, and retention that it designed and led. The Ed Fund partnered with key parent organizations and the district to implement the meetings. Community participants praised the process, which reached more than 900 San Franciscans in 90 community meetings. The Ed Fund received additional support from W&EHF to use its public engagement skills to help the district tackle two important teacher quality issues: creating a professional development master plan, and recruiting and retaining quality teachers for low-performing schools.
Grant Amount: $100,000 [2008] , $100,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 03/31/2008 through 03/31/2010
Project Web Site: www.sfedfund.org

Teach For America recruits recent college graduates to teach for two years in underperforming school districts. It provides a comprehensive program of pre-service training, professional development, and tailored individual support to teacher corps members, a substantial number of whom stay in the education field after their assignments. This grant supports Teach For America's first contract with the San Francisco Unified School District as well as its continuing relationship with the Oakland Unified School District.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2008]
Project Dates: 11/21/2008 through 11/21/2009
Project Web Site: www.teachforamerica.org

World Savvy educates and engages young people in community and world affairs in part by training teachers. In its Global Educators Program teachers learn one-on-one how to integrate age-appropriate, contemporary world affairs into middle and high school classrooms. World Savvy uses the best curricula available on contemporary global issues and creates original lesson plans as needed, including plans for English-language learners and students of varying abilities in each classroom. It is partnering with clusters of 10 teachers and their principals at five public schools in San Francisco.
Grant Amount: $40,000 [2008] , $40,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 07/11/2008 through 07/11/2010
Project Web Site: www.worldsavvy.org

Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES) recently shifted its focus from helping to establish small schools in the Oakland Unified School District to supporting targeted academic improvements in those schools. BayCES now trains principals and teachers to use data from assessments to help their middle and high school students become proficient in algebra and pre-college English by tailoring instruction to learning needs.
Grant Amount: $75,000 [2008] , $75,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 07/11/2008 through 07/11/2010
Project Web Site: www.bayces.org

Fiscal Sponsor: Regents of the University of California
The mission of the Center for Urban School Leadership at the University of California, Berkeley, is to train a diverse cadre of high-quality principals to lead Bay Area public schools. The Center's Principal Leadership Institute has placed 275 principals, assistant principals, and district-level leaders in schools. A three-year induction program and a coaching initiative give current principals additional job training, and an Aspiring Administrators program recruits and trains teachers considering becoming administrators. Other programs support district-level administrators to cultivate, support, and evaluate school-based leadership, and provide school district leaders with data to guide decision-making. With W&EHF funding, the Center will hire a project director to work on continuity planning with the executive director, build infrastructure, strengthen new programs, and create a plan for documenting and evaluating Center activities.
Grant Amount: $100,000 [2007], $75,000 [2008] , $50,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 11/27/2007 through 11/27/2010
Project Web Site: gse.berkeley.edu/research/cusl/index.html

San Francisco School Alliance promotes change in the city's public schools by building partnerships, recruiting community support, and advocating for policies that advance student achievement. This grant supports the Alliance's first major partnership, the Leadership Initiative for Equity, which aims to improve the recruitment, preparation, and support of principals. The Alliance coordinates the work of the San Francisco Unified School District and key community partners such as the Principal Leadership Institute at U.C. Berkeley and Partners for School Innovation to improve professionals' competence and encourage positive systemic change in the district.
Grant Amount: $75,000 [2008] , $50,000 [2009]
Project Dates: 11/21/2008 through 11/21/2010
Project Web Site: www.sfschoolalliance.org