Oceanside CA— The Oceanside Promise has announced that it has been awarded direct and indirect grant funding from the Stuart Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. The Stuart Foundation’s Board of Directors recently approved a $200,000, 18-month grant to support organizational capacity for the Oceanside Promise community-wide partnership whereas the Corporation’s philanthropic support will provide technical assistance for advancing transformational, equitable, and sustainable social change throughout Oceanside. Together, the grants will enable the Oceanside Promise to better align and leverage the programs, services, and resources of its more than 40 cross-sector partners to ensure Oceanside’s children and students achieve their fullest potential in college, career, and life.
“We appreciate the Stuart Foundation’s and Carnegie Corporation of New York’s support of our collective efforts to improve opportunities and outcomes for Oceanside’s children from cradle to college and through career,” commented Nicole Magnuson, executive director of the Oceanside Promise. “The entire community benefits when our children succeed, and the Oceanside Promise partners are working together to help ensure every child has equitable access to economic and life opportunities regardless of race, income or ability.”
The Stuart Foundation grant is directed to staff capacity which provides critical leadership and support to the Oceanside Promise’s diverse cross-sector partners within four goal areas: Safety, Health & Well-being, Early Childhood Success, College & Career Readiness, and Postsecondary Completion. The partners’ emphasis is on underrepresented students and children living in Oceanside’s highest poverty neighborhoods. The Stuart Foundation grant is a seed grant that requires the Oceanside Promise to raise matching dollars from individuals, corporations, and local philanthropy, as well as to meet specified benchmarks for sustaining capacity and achieving short- and long-term impact. Community members interested in supporting the Oceanside Promise and its cradle to college and career goals can give online at OceansidePromise.org/donate.
“The Stuart Foundation’s investment in the Oceanside Promise is a vote of confidence in the cross-sector partnership’s unique, results-driven approach to improving the social, emotional, and academic success of children and students,” explained Jonathan Raymond, President. “We partner with communities that share our commitment to the whole child and the Oceanside Promise is positioned to be a galvanizing force to that end throughout the Oceanside community.”
Three national, social impact organizations including FSG, PolicyLink, and the Systems Leadership Institute will be providing the technical assistance funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Combined, they bring proven expertise in collective impact, systems-level leadership, and advancing racial and economic equity. The grant was given to FSG and enables the three organizations to bring their frameworks together with intention in two communities: Oceanside, CA and Staten Island, NY.
“We are inspired by the multi-sector collaboration underway through the Oceanside Promise,” shared Michael McAfee, president of PolicyLink. “The goal of our three organizations is to use our diverse expertise to support Oceanside’s existing efforts to align activities while cultivating skills and capacity to achieve data-driven results, improve systems, and ensure equity is at the core of planning and progress in Oceanside.”
The Oceanside Promise partnership officially launched in early 2015 after Dr. Duane Coleman, the outgoing Superintendent of Oceanside Unified School District, recognized that the needs of his students were too complex for educators to address alone. The Oceanside Promise partnership includes over 100 individuals and experts representing the early childhood, K-12, higher education, business, government, nonprofit, and faith-based sectors. Current priorities include improving the Kindergarten readiness of children living in Oceanside’s highest poverty neighborhoods and supporting the success of Latino young men on the path to postsecondary completion including degrees, certificates and industry-recognized credentials.