Author: Mary Chestang October 27, 2026
This year, Oakland Promise is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Ten years ago, this work began with a bold idea: that every child in Oakland should have the opportunity to thrive, from the earliest years of life through college, career, and beyond.
Whether it's setting up income-eligible Brilliant Baby families with $500 College Savings Accounts (CSAs), helping kindergarten through 10th-grade students claim up to $500 in Promise Scholarships across public schools citywide, or providing mentors for college students as they navigate their career paths, Oakland Promise has been at the forefront of building a college-bound identity and creating pathways toward economic mobility for thousands of young people across our city.
In 2023, we became an Implementation Partner for the Oakland Children's Initiative (OCI) — alongside First 5 Alameda County — helping us leverage funding to strengthen our citywide infrastructure and deepen our community footprint. Together with key partners like Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), we have expanded our reach and impact for Oakland students and families.
Over the last decade, we have signed up more than 4,000 families for CSAs, seeded with $2 million toward their education; awarded over $40 million in scholarships to 8,000 high school graduates; and invested nearly $10 million to coordinate citywide impact for students and families.
These accomplishments weren't achieved by Oakland Promise alone. It took a village. A village of students and families, funders, community leaders, and partners who shared the belief that investments made at the start of a child's life could help Oakland youth achieve college and career success.
The Oakland Promise team is beyond thankful for the consistent support we have received over these ten years. This shared vision and commitment show what happens when an entire city comes together to support its youth. This milestone doesn't just belong to Oakland Promise. It belongs to Oakland.
“Behind every number is a young person, a family, and a community that believed in what was possible,” says CEO Sandra Ernst.
CEO, Sandra Ernst cheering students on for East Oakland Pride Elementary’s Welcome Line
“Today, Oakland Promise serves as a backbone organization for Oakland’s cradle-to-career ecosystem, bringing together schools, community organizations, government, philanthropy, employers, and families around a shared vision for our young people. We know lasting change does not happen through any one organization. It happens when a city works together,” Ernst adds.
Our work doesn’t just stop here. With ten years of work ingrained in our history, we are excited to see what the next decade brings. Our goal moving into this next chapter is to deepen our connections in neighborhoods where opportunity gaps persist and promote wealth-building for our students and families. We see our work in three ways: investing in youth and families across the city, being a financial resource for income-eligible students and families, and deepening our efforts through place-based initiatives like the East Oakland Promise Neighborhood.
While our direct service will always exist, we know it takes much more to help a child reach success. Education is a critical foundation for economic mobility, creating pathways to career opportunities and financial stability. Through this work, our goal is to connect youth to education and cradle-to-career support with financial knowledge, asset-building, and long-term economic opportunity. By continuing to subgrant to community-based organizations and convene partners across Oakland, we are working to create a stronger network of support that helps students and families thrive from the classroom to the workforce and beyond.
Oakland's investment in our youth has the potential to serve as a model for neighboring cities and communities just like ours across the country. We want every young person to feel empowered in their educational journey and know that college, career, and long-term success are attainable, regardless of their ZIP code or circumstances. As we strengthen our cradle-to-career approach, we hope the lessons learned and impact made here in Oakland can be replicated nationwide, creating greater opportunities for generations to come.
Here's to 10 years of building opportunity in Oakland, and to the next decade of creating pathways toward economic mobility for generations to come!
Please check out how we’re celebrating this decade by watching the story KTVU 2 covered on our Children’s Fairyland celebration.