Announcing a New Framework to Liberate Potential for Boys and Men of Color
As our funder network marked its 10-year anniversary in 2024, we reaffirmed our commitment to boys and men of color with a new guiding framework: Liberating Potential: Building Pathways Away from Punishment and Towards Economic Freedom.
Authored and co-developed by Arnold Chandler, President and CEO of Forward Change, this new framework expands on our life course approach and will continue to guide our network in aligning strategic investments, purposeful policy shifts, and concerted actions to remove barriers while opening and improving opportunities across key milestones in the lives of boys and men of color.
Whether foundations are focused on education, jobs, criminal justice, community development or other issues, we all have opportunities to contribute to a freer, more abundant future for boys and men of color.
This framework focuses on three critical strategies:
- Dismantle punishment pathways and build recovery ones: Reduce exclusionary discipline, divert youth from the juvenile justice system, and support reentry into education.
- Create effective post-secondary pathways: Develop programs that help community college students complete degrees with high labor market value.
- Connect boys and men of color to well-paying jobs: Promote enrollment in high-mobility colleges and establish clear pathways to careers in high-growth industries.
We look forward to using this framework alongside our funder collaborative members as a foundation for building a future where boys and men of color can thrive and achieve economic freedom for themselves and their families.
We also hope it serves as a valuable resource for educators, policymakers, parents, and caregivers, all of whom play a crucial role in expanding opportunities.
A special thank you to the following individuals who contributed to the development of this framework in 2024:
- Castle Redmond, The California Endowment
- Jeff Kim, The California Wellness Foundation
- Saúl Valdez, ECMC Foundation
- Julio Marcial, Liberty Hill Foundation
- Vince Flowers, California Community Foundation
- Ray Colmenar, Akonadi Foundation
- Tia Martinez, Organizing Roots
- Dr. Ken Spence, NextGen Policy
- Allison Magee, Zellerbach Family Foundation
- Chris Cooper, Sierra Health Foundation
