1803 Fund Makes Investment in Black Youth Education

The1803 Fund has announced a decade-long investment into Self Enhancement Inc. and Albina Head Start. The investment will take shape as a recurring, annual grant of $2.5 million to each organization to support direct services.

“There is no more elemental measure of a wealthy society than the wellbeing of the children who live there,” said 1803 Fund CEO Rukaiyah Adams.

Since 1981, SEI has supported underserved youth in the northeast community through wraparound services. “What we’ve tried to do is provide a holistic approach,” said Tony Hopson Sr., founder of SEI, to provide all the options and opportunities that a community and individuals within a community will need to thrive.”

That support has directly improved outcomes for Black youth in the program. SEI's continuum of service spans 40 programs and 400 services to the community, based on its commitment to wraparound support and closing learning gaps. From 2011 to 2015, SEI's model helped raise Jefferson High School’s graduation rates from about 50 percent, to over 90 percent.

Head Start has similarly improved outcomes for Black youth in Portland, offering early childhood education in programs that set the foundation for life-long learning. Recognizing the need for holistic support, Head Start has also trailblazed programs to improve health outcomes for youth, and support for the adults who nurture them.

Though both SEI and Head Start ground their work in Albina–the historic heart of Black life in Portland–1803 Fund’s investment will reach Black youth across the city. “All efforts that will be made in traditional Albina will flow over into other communities,” said Ron Herndon, director of Albina Head Start. “Our effort will impact Black children and Black families wherever they are.”

Head Start and SEI aren’t the only community-based organizations that will benefit from this investment. Over the next decade, SEI and Head Start together will also receive an annual, recurring $2.5 million grant to organizations dedicated to the wellbeing of Black youth. “In order to make ‘the’ difference, it’s going to take a collaborative effort that drills deeper and wider to connect with a much larger portion of our community,” Hopson said. “We want to plan something that will be transformational.” That kind of collaboration is central to how 1803 Fund is inaugurating this portfolio of education investments.

Hopson and Herndon have been pioneers in the education field. As founding board members of 1803, they shared their expertise to help get the fund off the ground. They have since departed the board and returned to the work they know so well.

“We are deeply grateful for the bravery and excellence of Tony and Ron as leaders and visionaries in education,” says Adams. “As we pivot to the future, honoring their legacies will center the work to come.”