Premiere Grantmaker Ballmer Group Invests in LA Education Nonprofit,
Communities In Schools of Los Angeles to Support Students in Underserved
Communities
March 22, 2023
Communities In Schools of Los Angeles (CISLA) announced a $1.275m investment from Ballmer Group to continue implementing its evidence-based program model to support students in underserved communities across Los Angeles.
The grant will support three years of CISLA’s five-year strategic plan to expand its post-secondary support to graduates of its programming and develop summer programming to support the social - emotional learning needs of young people in high-need communities. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic that has heightened mental health challenges for children of all ages, providing access to these types of layered supports is more important than ever.
CISLA operates an evidence-based model across 15 LAUSD schools that qualify for federal Title I funding. The organization leverages trained professionals who are integrated inside schools and provides tailored support like one-on-one student management to students who are at heightened risk of not succeeding in school, and small-group and whole-school learning experiences to address students' academic and non-academic needs. The organization has achieved a 100% graduation rate since the 2019 - 2020 school year and served 12,500 Los Angeles students during the 2021-2022 school year.
"CISLA's ultimate focus is students," said CISLA's Executive Director, Elmer G. Roldan. "We believe that when children are supported by caring adults, have access to programming that enhances their social-emotional learning skills, and are uplifted in their school environment, they are better prepared to pursue higher education, employment, and navigate their personal choices. With this important investment from Ballmer Group, we can make that happen because the grant positions us to make strategic investments to strengthen our team infrastructure, increase our community impact, and continue to expand to more schools throughout Los Angeles."
This gift from Ballmer Group is in addition to a $165 million investment Ballmer Group made to the national organization Communities in Schools, of which CISLA is an independent affiliate. It also comes a year after another respected global philanthropist, MacKenzie Scott, made another significant investment in CISLA's core work.
Communities In Schools of Los Angeles (CISLA) announced a $1.275m investment from Ballmer Group to continue implementing its evidence-based program model to support students in underserved communities across Los Angeles.
The grant will support three years of CISLA’s five-year strategic plan to expand its post-secondary support to graduates of its programming and develop summer programming to support the social - emotional learning needs of young people in high-need communities. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic that has heightened mental health challenges for children of all ages, providing access to these types of layered supports is more important than ever.
CISLA operates an evidence-based model across 15 LAUSD schools that qualify for federal Title I funding. The organization leverages trained professionals who are integrated inside schools and provides tailored support like one-on-one student management to students who are at heightened risk of not succeeding in school, and small-group and whole-school learning experiences to address students' academic and non-academic needs. The organization has achieved a 100% graduation rate since the 2019 - 2020 school year and served 12,500 Los Angeles students during the 2021-2022 school year.
"CISLA's ultimate focus is students," said CISLA's Executive Director, Elmer G. Roldan. "We believe that when children are supported by caring adults, have access to programming that enhances their social-emotional learning skills, and are uplifted in their school environment, they are better prepared to pursue higher education, employment, and navigate their personal choices. With this important investment from Ballmer Group, we can make that happen because the grant positions us to make strategic investments to strengthen our team infrastructure, increase our community impact, and continue to expand to more schools throughout Los Angeles."
This gift from Ballmer Group is in addition to a $165 million investment Ballmer Group made to the national organization Communities in Schools, of which CISLA is an independent affiliate. It also comes a year after another respected global philanthropist, MacKenzie Scott, made another significant investment in CISLA's core work.
