The Silver Family Foundation makes grants to non-profits in Oregon, Washington and Idaho that provide transformative youth development services to children. The Foundation prioritizes programs that provide long-term mentorship, academic intervention and support, and college and/or career preparation and retention. These are a few examples of some of our current core grantees:
The St. Andrew Nativity School is a tuition-free Catholic, Jesuit middle school committed to serving young people from low-income backgrounds. The school’s mission is empower students in their spiritual, intellectual, and personal development toward college and career readiness and to become people for others.
Friends of the Children – Portland (FOTC) is a long-term mentorship program that is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty. FOTC targets some of the highest risk children in kindergarten and pairs them with a salaried, professional mentor who spends a minimum of 15 hours each month for 12.5 years -- until they graduate from high school.
Rainier Scholars works with students from 5th grade through college graduation and provides them with wraparound, personalized academic and social-emotional support for 12 years. Rainier Scholars mission is to “cultivate the academic potential and leadership skills of hardworking, underrepresented students of color.”
Summer Search works with students-- from 10th grade through college graduation-- and offers in-depth mentorship, transformational summer experiences, and post-secondary advising and support. The mission of Summer Search is to “create greater equity by increasing the number of students from low-income backgrounds who successfully enter and complete college and go on to thrive in their lives as purpose-driven leaders.”
Minds Matter Seattle is an academic mentoring organization committed to transforming the lives of accomplished high school students from low-income families. The program helps to broaden the dreams of young people and prepare them for college and career. Their mission is to “connect driven and determined students from low-income families with people, preparation and possibilities to succeed in college, create their future and change the world.”
De La Salle North Catholic High School (DLSNC) offers a private, rigorous, college preparatory education to low-income students. The mission of De La Salle is to “serve a racially diverse population of capable, motivated, and interested college-bound students from the Portland area who would not otherwise have access to a faith-based, rigorous, college-preparatory education.”
College Possible is a college access program that helps under-represented students prepare for, and earn, a college degree. College Possible provides students with near-peer coaches and an intensive curriculum designed to help them navigate and overcome the most common barriers to getting into college and completing their degree. The mission of College Possible is “making college admission and success possible for students from low-income backgrounds through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support.”
Reading Results is an intensive reading intervention program that partners with low-income schools to offer in-school and summer reading intervention programs for first through third grade students who are not meeting grade level reading benchmarks. Their mission is “working towards the vision that all children have the right to read and succeed, Reading Results partners with schools serving students who are low-income and/or students of color to provide a proven reading intervention program.”
Willamette Academy is a college access program that serves 8th-12th grade students who are underrepresented on college campuses — including first generation college students, students of color, and/or those who come from low-income families. The mission of Willamette Academy is to “educate, inspire, and empower students from historically underrepresented communities who have the desire to advance to and achieve a higher education.”
The I Have a Dream Foundation - Idaho provides comprehensive, long-term support to underserved youth. IHAD- Idaho is the local affiliate of the National I Have a Dream Foundation. The mission of I Have a Dream- Idaho is to “provide academic, social-emotional support and enrichment programming to children from under-resourced communities, from early elementary school through high school and post-secondary education, with guaranteed tuition assistance.”
The Space is an academic support program providing individualized tutoring, test prep and college and career counseling for students of all income levels in Blaine County, ID. The Space was founded in 2020 with the goal of closing the educational achievement gap and helping prepare students for a postsecondary education. The mission of The Space is “to create opportunities in education by providing access to high-quality academic support and college counseling.”
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The Lee Pesky Learning Center is an academic intervention program that helps students overcome obstacles to learning. The Lee Pesky Learning Center (LPLC) was founded in Idaho in 1997 and has become a national teaching, research, and training center that works with individuals, families, and schools to address learning issues. The mission of the Lee Pesky Learning Center Space is “to work together with students, families, schools, and communities to understand and overcome obstacles to learning.”