The goal of the Youth program is to increase the number of low-income youth in California who complete high school on time and attain a postsecondary credential by the age of 25.

The Youth program seeks to address the achievement gap for
low-income youth in California in secondary and postsecondary education and career training, placing special emphasis on youth whose life circumstances further diminish their opportunities for success. We believe that young people must be given multiple pathways to the same destination: success in high school, college and careers.

Priority

Academically rigorous career and technical education:
Promote educational models of schooling that blend academics and technical training, and connect students to authentic work-place learning.

Profiles of illustrative grants

The following grantee profiles are illustrative of the type of work the Youth program seeks to fund:

• ACME
• High Tech High
• Alliance for Education (San Bernardino)
• Digital Bridge Academy (Cabrillo College)

Other Youth Program Grants

The Youth program also has active grants aimed at improving instruction and providing support services, such as counseling and tutoring, in high schools and community colleges. However, the Youth program is no longer making grants in this area. For a description of our continuing work in this area with community colleges, read about the SSPIRE Initiative.

Plans for 2008–9

We are in the process of identifying an intermediary organization to manage an open, competitive grant program called the College and Career Connections Fund. The fund will support community-based organizations that assist low-income youth, ages 16 to 24, who have dropped out of high school, to reconnect with employment and postsecondary educational options. Based on an initial review of county-level data, we have identified San Bernardino and Riverside counties as our initial target areas. More details will be available on this page in late 2008.

For additional background on Youth program grants, see the archives of the Irvine Quarterly.