As part of our work to support low-income, first-generation and under-represented students attain a bachelor’s degree, we partnered with Wonder For Good and Goodwin Simon Strategies to develop research-backed messaging that could build more support for college access and affordability in California.

Products of the research include a guide lifting up key messages and strategies to make a powerful case for college affordability, as well as a video catalog promoting the recommendations featuring students, parents, and a guidance counselor.

Despite a bachelor’s degree being the big equalizer in society, our recently commissioned research shows that significant disparities for Black, Latino, and Native American students persist when it comes to college access and degree completion in California.

The Haas, Jr. Fund is honored to welcome Monica Martinez, who will lead strategies and partnerships to level the playing field in higher ed and reduce financial barriers to a college degree. She has extensive experience advancing education equity and innovation, including in her most recent post as director of strategic initiatives at the Learning Policy Institute, where she played a crucial role in expanding the use of alternative assessments to increase college admissions access nationwide.

This unprecedented three-year effort funded in part by the Haas, Jr. Fund provided public colleges and universities with the resources needed to set up and expand critical campus services that aid the educational success of undocumented students. The development of sustainability plans and advocacy training for student fellows was built into the effort from the start to ensure all participating campuses could maintain their services even after the fund’s sunsetting.

The Fund launches its College Success program with the mission to reduce the financial barriers to a college degree and the opportunities that come with it.

The University of California, Berkeley, receives a $10 million grant from the Haas, Jr. Fund to create a more diverse, welcoming, and inclusive campus. A cornerstone of the gift is $2 million for scholarships designed to bolster the university’s African American student community and their overall campus experience.

Raquiba LaBrie, a former senior leader with the Open Society Foundations, starts work as program director for the Haas, Jr. Fund’s Education Equity program. Raised in East Oakland, Raquiba comes to the Fund with extensive experience managing grantmaking programs focused on racial justice, immigrant and LGBT rights, education, workforce development and other issues. In her new position, Raquiba directs the Fund’s efforts to close achievement gaps so all students can reach their full potential.

Longtime Haas, Jr. Fund partner U.C. Berkeley is a leader in higher education when it comes to creating an accessible and welcoming environment for diverse students. A wide-ranging report shares lessons from the Cal experience.   

The Fund provides $16 million to launch the UC Berkeley Initiative for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, which expands research on diversity; funds scholarships for low-income transfer students; and makes equity a priority across the Cal campus.

The Fund launches Coaching Corps (formerly Team-Up for You), which trains volunteer coaches for after-school sports programs in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. The nonprofit group eventually serves more than 50,000 children in California.