Seattle

A Better Chance – National *
Grades: 4-9
A Better Chance seeks to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. This is done by facilitating their entry into independent college preparatory schools. Through its network of member schools, A Better Chance is able to leverage an estimated $20+ million per year in financial aid for talented, economically disadvantaged youth of color. More than 96% of A Better Chance's graduates go on to college directly after high school, a majority entering our country's most selective colleges.

 

Arts Corps
Ages: 5-19
Arts Corps is a leading non-profit arts education organization dedicated to developing creative habits of mind in young people. Based in Seattle, Washington, Arts Corps bring hands-on arts classes to youth with little or no other access to arts learning opportunities, predominately children in low-income communities of color.

El Centro de la Raza
All ages
El Centro de la Raza is a voice and a hub for Seattle and Martin Luther King, Jr. County’s Latino community as we advocate on behalf of our people and work to achieve social justice. Our Child and Youth Programs are an investment in our children and their future. We provide an array of bilingual and multicultural services, including bilingual childcare, afterschool mentoring and tutoring, and weekly workshops dealing with complex subjects of Latino history, race, hip hop and the arts as a medium for social change and community activism within the Seattle Public Schools.

Friends of the Children
Ages: 5-18
We identify vulnerable children in kindergarten and pair them with a consistent, long-term, professional mentor called a Friend who spends at least four hours with them every single week until they graduate from high school. Friends engage in a wide variety of activities with the children to foster their school success, enhance their emotional and physical health, and expose them to new places and experiences.

Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center for Young Scholars
Grades: 5-12
The mission of the Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center for Young Scholars (RC) at the University of Washington is threefold: teaching, research, and service. The RC is a leader in the nation for developing programs that serve highly capable young pre-college and college students. Through early entrance programs we prepare younger students for college and provide them with challenging, accelerated learning opportunities in a vibrant, intellectual community at the University of Washington. We also provide outreach through enrichment and summer programs that offer classes for highly capable Puget Sound students.

 

Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA)
Grades: K-12
In MESA, African-American, Native American, Latino and female students prepare for college in mathematics, engineering, and science, beginning in elementary school, and continuing through high school. MESA supports students, teachers, and parents with innovative, hands-on programs and opportunities. MESA services include MESA enriched math and science classes, after school and summer programs, pre-college advising and support, participation in national engineering conferences, local, state and national competitions, internships with local businesses and research centers, role models and mentors, parent workshops and field trips, teacher professional development, and integrated science and math curriculum.

Rainier Scholars 
Grades: 1-12
Each spring, we invite 60 promising students of color to embark on an 11-year, life-changing journey. It demands hard work and commitment. In exchange, it offers invaluable opportunity. The 11-year program model is divided in four distinct phases – Academic Enrichment, Academic Counseling and Support, Leadership Development and College Support.

Reel Grrls
Ages: 9-21
Reel Grrls is the premier year-round media-training program for girls. At Reel Grrls, girls ages 9 – 21 learn production skills through hands-on workshops and classes taught by female media professionals and educators. Since 2001, over 1000 students have participated in Reel Grrls programs and Reel Grrls media have been honored in more than 90 film festivals globally.

Seattle Music Partners (SMP)
Grades: K-5
Seattle Music Partners’ free after-school program is an innovative combination of weekly music instruction and mentoring. For 12 years, SMP has worked with underserved elementary school students in Seattle’s Central District.

Technology Access Foundation (TAF)
Grades: 1-12
Technology Access Foundation (TAF) was founded in 1996 to help reduce the opportunity gap in education and bring more youth of color to STEM-related disciplines and careers. Today, TAF is a valued partner with public education offering two programs: STEM Up, an after-school academic enrichment program that strengthens students’ academic and life skills and helps them get ready for college early, and TAF Academy, an award winning, 6th-12th grade partner school model, meaning it’s co-managed by TAF and the school district where the school is located. Lessons combine STEM, humanities and the arts, and some are even taught by STEM professionals.

Treehouse for Kids 
All ages
Treehouse is the only agency in King County that provides youth in foster care with the essential and academic supports they equally deserve to help them graduate at the same rate as their peers with a plan for their future. We support youth in foster care through an integrated, research-based service delivery model that fuses our longstanding programs providing material and educational support, and opportunities for extracurricular engagement to ensure our kids are receiving the most comprehensive support possible.

UW Summer Youth Programs
Grades: K-12
Integrating the vast resources of the University of Washington, Summer Youth Programs deliver an academically rich curriculum offered in a fun, safe learning environment. Classes are led by highly qualified and experienced instructors who engage students in fun and innovative ways.