Program vision
The Citizenship Program seeks to promote the core values of good citizenship, inspiring Californians to be informed, engaged, motivated, and ethical in making individual and collective decisions that improve government, communities, and economic prosperity.
Program Overview
The health and prosperity of American democracy is dependent on the responsible, thoughtful, and informed engagement of all people. National studies, however, consistently find that the public education system is struggling to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, motivation, and civic virtues necessary to participate responsibly in the nation’s governance. Additionally, the nation’s greatest resource, the service of its populace, could be better utilized to address critical community needs. The Board of Directors invests in Citizenship in order to promote the teaching of good citizenship in youth education and inspire individuals from all walks of life to serve their communities.
Grantmaking objectives
Secondary Education. Promote high quality civic education for secondary students, and support related research and advocacy efforts.
Civic Engagement. Increase leadership, collaboration, and service opportunities for Bay Area residents of all ages and backgrounds.
Civic Institutions. Support national and local institutions that promote civic awareness, conduct valuable research, provide policy recommendations, and offer forums for civil discourse.
Highlighted grants
Secondary Education. The goal of the California YMCA’s Youth & Government program is exemplified by its motto ‘Democracy Must Be Learned By Each Generation’. Founded in 1948, the statewide after-school program seeks to ensure that youth understand the principles of citizenship, leadership, and democracy, along with the YMCA’s core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. The program provides high school students with an in-depth education about how government works through direct participation in simulations of important civic activities. Following their involvement in Youth & Government, participants have reported that the experience improved their self-esteem and public speaking skills, motivated them to succeed in school, and inspired them to be more engaged in their communities. In 2011, the Foundation made grants to the Bayview, Buchanan, Embarcadero, Stonestown, and Urban Services branches of the YMCA in San Francisco and Oakland to ensure that youth from low-income backgrounds have an opportunity to participate in this program.
Civic Engagement. Founded in 2009, Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors from across the nation who are responding to the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act by working together to find new and innovative ways to harness the power of volunteers to solve the nation’s most pressing challenges. In 2011, the Foundation replicated a Cities of Service Leadership Grant to fund the City of Richmond, California to appoint a Chief Service Officer, a senior city official dedicated to developing and implementing a high-impact service plan. Over a two-year period, this Chief Service Officer will work with the mayor to engage stakeholders and target volunteers to address the city’s most pressing needs.
Staff
- Robert Joseph, Program Officer
- Kay Barthold, Senior Grants Manager