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First Foundation proudly supports Bridge Builders, a Los Angeles, CA-based nonprofit that empowers students of color to reach their full potential through mentorship, education, and scholarship.

Bridge Builders adapts to the community's needs to best serve the students, providing leadership training, youth mentoring, and STEM education and employing over 75 youth each year. Through their efforts, Bridge Builders has seen multiple layers of success, including increased positive behavior and attitudes among students, decreased school absences and disruptive behavior, and a greater awareness of the value of education, skilled trades, and careers.

Bridge Builders has awarded over 1 million dollars to support young Black men in higher education through their Scholars Program. They also teach culturally relevant financial literacy and wealth-building curricula geared explicitly to communities of color to provide opportunities for wealth and inheritance to pass across generations. They also incorporate health awareness and education to address the disparities and inequities of health and access to health care that perpetuate for Black Americans. 

With the help of over 150 volunteers, Bridge Builders continues to grow the program as it reaches more students. In 2023, Bridge Builders added seven additional schools, nearly doubling the number of students they reach in a school year.

Through community enrichment field trips and the Bridge Builders Youth Ambassador Program, students engage with their community and gain valuable skills. Bridge Builders strongly believes in the power of connection and engagement. By reducing juvenile crime and decreasing the need for social services, programs aimed at disenfranchised young people provide a $3 return on investment for every $1 invested. Bridge Builders offers a brighter future for our youth and strengthens our communities through social investment.

We encourage you to visit Bridge Builder's website to see all their essential work empowering students of color in Los Angeles –  https://www.bridgebuildersla.org/.  Together, we can positively impact young people's lives and help build a stronger, more equitable community.