THE Education Co-op

For more than 40 years, SEI has been the difference in the lives of youth and families in Portland. SEI’s work has results - 98% of SEI youth graduate from high school.

From an investment of the 1803 Fund, SEI brings this experience and understanding to form the Education Co-Op to distribute an annual recurring $2.5 million to support peer community-based organizations dedicated to the wellbeing of youth.

The Education Co-Op aims to reach youth across Multnomah County and fill the learning gap that they face by providing extra learning time and attention. The potential for transformation is realized through collaborative efforts with collective goals in four areas:

  • Reading and math proficiency 

  • High school graduation 

  • Tech literacy 

  • Career development 

 SEI CEO Trent Aldridge shared, “The Education Co-Op grants are a testament to what’s possible when we invest in our community’s strengths. By supporting these outstanding organizations, we’re not just funding programs—we’re building a collective impact effort—shared goals, collective outcomes, and coordinated supports—that ensures our students and families have the opportunity to thrive.” 

The potential for transformation


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Please contact the Education Co-Op team for more information. They will be happy to assist you with any questions.

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Meet the education co-op grantees

Black Parent Initiative (BPI)

  • Since 2006, Black Parent Initiative (BPI) has focused on empowering parents and caregivers of African, African American, and African American-multiracial children to ensure their social, emotional and academic success. Systemic racism and serial forced displacement has caused significant disparities in health, education, housing, and employment, leaving many Black families unable to fully support their children's well-being. 

    We believe in the inherent strengths and brilliance of the families we serve, despite historical oppression and disparate treatment by social service systems. Our success lies in deepening relationships with the community we love and serve. 

    BPI is a culture-specific, community-centered organization that collaborates with families to create innovative and sustainable interventions. Using a culturally-responsive continuous improvement approach, we are able to evaluate our services and ensure that they align with community needs. Guided by Dr. Joy DeGruy’s Relationship Approach 3M model, we deliver high-quality, culturally-specific support for positive outcomes. 

    We emphasize cultivating meaningful relationships rather than just building rapport. Many organizations fail to sustain engagement because they don't establish these deeper connections. 

    As one of the few culturally-specific nonprofits in Oregon, that solely supports Black/African American families pre-birth to adulthood (ages 0-20). We address complex issues with expertise and compassion, focusing on optimal health, cultural identity development, parent education, and resource access to help children succeed. 

    The Black Parent Initiative supports SEI’s Education Co-Op as a transformative opportunity to advance academic success and resilience for Black students. With Black residents making up only 6.2% of Portland’s population, our community has faced historical and systemic barriers, most notably serial displacement, which disrupts access to quality education and creates an academic gap that affects social, emotional, and academic growth. 

    The Co-Op allows us to collaboratively address these challenges through targeted, culturally affirming programs and evidence-based resources that help our youth thrive. It can serve as a unifying force to set research baselines, evaluate outcomes, and define standards for Black excellence in education, filling gaps left by previous initiatives and systemic failures. 

    By combining expertise, intention, and culturally grounded strategies, we aim to empower Black students to rise above cycles of displacement and inequity and reach their full potential. As Carter G. Woodson said, “The education of a people involves more than the accumulation of facts. It involves the development of a mentality that will enable a people to understand their environment and to improve it.” The Co-Op is our chance to make that vision a reality. 

  • Bahia Cross (Overton), Ph.D., Executive Director

    bahia.overton@thebpi.org

Friends of Baseball

  • Friends of Baseball (FOB) enhances children’s lives through the power of baseball and softball, using sports-based youth development to teach resilience, teamwork, and a sense of belonging.

    Founded in 2005, FOB was developed to address the inequities experienced by many of Portland’s at-risk youth, particularly youth of color. Accessibility barriers, including a lack of programming, high costs, and systemic bias, have limited access to out-of-school sports and enrichment programs. Sports help youth develop crucial social-emotional skills, such as patience, and confidence, which are vital for academic and life success.

    FOB addresses inequities by blending sport with life skill development, helping youth make informed decisions, build healthy relationships, and stay connected to school and community while avoiding risks. Our core initiatives provide comprehensive support to Portland-area youth, including out-of-school enrichment programs, free community clinics, year-round mentorship, gear distribution, transportation, meals, and postsecondary planning services. By providing consistent, year-over-year programming for youth from age 6 through high school, our program graduates are equipped with life skills that will benefit them as they grow into adulthood.

    With support from our community partners, Friends of Baseball has delivered accessible programming, scholarships, and resources to thousands of youth across our region. We collaborate closely with local schools and trusted community organizations to ensure our programs are rooted in cultural responsiveness and community connection. These partnerships help us reach the youth who need us most and create spaces where they feel seen, supported, and inspired to succeed.

    Friends of Baseball (FOB) is proud to be part of the Education Co-Op because it aligns with our core belief that youth development and academic success are interconnected. As a sports-based youth development organization, we see firsthand how culturally affirming mentorship and team-based learning can empower a young person’s confidence in the classroom, on the field, and in their future. The Co-Op provides us with a powerful space to collaborate with like-minded organizations, strengthen our academic impact, and build a shared framework for equity and excellence. It’s an opportunity to grow not only as a program, but as a partner in a broader movement to create lasting change for youth across Oregon.

  • Aaron Dickson, Executive Director

    aaron@friendsofbaseball.org

POIC (Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center)

  • Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC) is committed to the success of vulnerable youth, adults, and families, providing the highest quality services in Education, Employment & Training, Community Safety, and Family & Wellness. POIC has been a beacon for communities of color, particularly the Black and African American community, for 60 years. POIC serves over 3,000 students, trainees, and families throughout the greater Portland area every year. We address the needs of populations often overlooked by traditional social service and educational systems. Solutions to systemic barriers are complex; in response, POIC provides a continuum of services from classroom to career, which includes educational, workforce development, and family services.

    For decades, POIC has been a key contributor to closing educational achievement gaps for the most vulnerable students in Portland. POIC engages individuals most organizations have given up on, yet they represent our community's greatest opportunity to create lasting, transformational change. As a leader in youth educational services, POIC is excited to support the Co-Op’s development of new, innovative strategies and evaluation methods that can be implemented on POIC’s campuses and beyond

  • Joe McFerrin II, President and CEO

    jmcferrin@portlandoic.org

Triple Threat Mentoring

  • Triple Threat Mentoring has been delivering youth advocacy, case management, and empowerment services through our mentorship program for the past 5 years. Our mission is to increase opportunities for all youth to prosper through mentorship, motivation, and guidance, helping them transition into young adults with purpose. We do this by: 

    • Equipping our children to become the leaders of a better tomorrow by providing them with the tools and resources to be empowered, positive, and productive members of society. 

    • Encouraging personal growth by providing support and cultivating opportunities for exposure to higher education, careers, and vocational training through partnerships and collaborations with other community organizations, including not-for-profit organizations. 

    • Administering knowledge and assist them with life and decision-making skills to help them make positive choices. 

    Currently we provide intensive mentorship to 95 high school and middle school black and brown youth that are in 28 schools throughout Multnomah County. Our intensive mentorship program provides each mentee with 1 hour a week of one-on-one mentoring and 3 to 4 hours a week of group mentoring and activities. Under this program our mentors provide case management, tracking the mentees progress toward their SMART goals, changes in their risk and protective factors, grades, attendance, behavioral infractions, etc. Through weekly case management meetings with Program Directors, mentors collaborate on interventions and resources to assist our mentees. We have a holistic approach to programming, understanding that in order for youth to succeed as they move into adulthood all aspects of their person need attending to. Too often, especially for Black and Brown students, their culture and identity and their view of their future is wrapped up in dominant societies narratives. In every aspect of our programming we challenge these narratives, breaking them down with the mentee, giving the mentee a safe space and time to discover their own identity, what they want their future to be, and skills to help reach their goals. In addition to mentorship, our program participants are exposed to STEAM activities, tutoring, career and college exploration, health and wellness activities, community give back projects, and the development of life skills. We also provide work-based learning opportunities for our high school youth as Jr. Coaches during our Summer Lit and Sports Camp for kids in K-5th grade. 

    We work to bridge the gaps—between school and home, between potential and opportunity, between what our Black youth deserve and what systems too often deliver. We’ve always believed that no one group can do this work alone, and we’ve long hoped for a space where trusted organizations could come together not in competition, but in collaboration. The Education Co-Op represents that hope in action. Our participation gives us the chance to align our grassroots experience with a broader collective strategy that’s laser-focused on outcomes we’ve been chasing for years—reading proficiency by 3rd grade, confidence in math by middle school, increased graduation rates, digital fluency, and meaningful career exposure. By joining the Co-Op means we don’t have to carry it alone. It also meets some very real needs we’ve carried quietly for too long: 

    • The need for shared data systems that make it easier to track a student’s journey across programs and schools. 

    • The need for dedicated time to step back and plan, not just respond. 

    • The need for equitable investment, we are small but mighty. Organizations like ours are often overlooked simply because we don’t have a development team or a large building. 

    We see this partnership as a chance to dream together, design together, and deliver on the promises our systems haven’t always kept. A planning grant would allow us to do something rare in this line of work: build while we serve. Too often, we’re expected to dream big while running on empty—to grow our impact without the time, space, or support to think strategically about what growth really looks like.  

  • Nike Greene, CEO & Founder

    nikegreene@gmail.com

Camp ELSO

  • Founded in 2015, ELSO Inc’s mission is to catalyze learning and expand access to positive career outcomes for a more just future. Our vision is to cultivate generations of innovators and problem solvers for local and global impact. ELSO works to close the opportunity gap in STEAMED (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math, Environment, Design) education and careers while fostering belonging for Black and Brown communities in natural and built environments.

    Our key programs are Wayfinders Camps, Tappin’ Roots Internships, and Studio Justice Cohorts. Each program connects youth with mentors, workforce training, and hands-on environmental learning. ELSO engages about 700 youth in Portland, OR, and Houston, TX each year; 95% identify as Black or Brown, and 87% qualify for free or reduced lunch. Staff and leadership reflect the communities we serve, creating spaces where young people see themselves as innovators, scientists, and leaders.

    We are so excited to join the SEI Education Co-Op at this critical moment. With federal funding freezes threatening community programs and DEI initiatives under attack, this partnership represents more than support, it is a lifeline. The Education Co-Op aligns with our shared commitment to trusted collaboration that centers under-resourced youth voices and dismantles systemic barriers to educational and career success. We imagine the SEI cohort will help to ensure the region can offer trusted, community-rooted programs that uplift marginalized voices, sustain leadership pipelines, and shift the status quo for Black and Brown youth.

  • Sprinavasa Brown-Turner, Executive Director & Co-Founder

    sprinavasa@campelso.org

HOLLA School

  • HOLLA School is a public 501(c)(3) charter school in our fourth year serving 100% Black, Brown and Indigenous K-5 students in East Portland. Our school was birthed through community organizing during the COVID-19 pandemic, designed by us and for us. Our mission is:

    • To change the academic narratives of Black, Brown and Indigenous youth by honoring lived experiences, catalyzing genius and centering joy.

    • To explore student identities, nurture their curiosity, ignite their criticality and orient them in the world.

    • To systematize the use of a comprehensive anti-racist, culturally and historically responsive instructional framework that centers relationships through mentoring, literacy, agriculture, entrepreneurship and the contributions of our communities.

    HOLLA School is thrilled to participate in the SEI Education Co-Op. We are painfully aware that education as a whole has failed to meet the academic, social and cultural needs of Black students, as national education outcomes remain predictably disparate. Current state and local academic, behavior, attendance and graduation rate data reflect a dire need for intervention. Portland’s public education system persistently fails our Black students. We desire that all Black youth are able to be fully seen, heard, and valued for being fully themselves. We relish this opportunity to collaboratively remedy the systemic oppression of Portland Black students. We absolutely share the Co-Op’s vision of lasting, transformational change.

    We know we’re doing something groundbreaking—creating an educational model that serves Black children in East Portland with intention, innovation, and a strong relational approach. That said, we also know we can’t afford to operate in isolation or stay insulated in our own bubble. Collaboration isn’t just helpful—it’s essential to the evolution of our work.

    Black Portland isn’t a monolith, and neither is the Black-led nonprofit ecosystem. We each carry distinct histories, approaches, and gifts. At HOLLA School, we’re clear: we have something valuable to contribute to this shared work, and we have plenty to learn from those who are in the trenches alongside us. We believe in cross-pollination, not competition. We believe in building bridges, not silos. We also believe that the future of Black education in Portland depends on us showing up together—with humility, clarity, and collective power. We recognize the need for and powerful value of the highly coordinated, strategic partnership framework that the SEI Education Co-Op provides.

  • Eric Knox, Executive Director

    eric@hollaschool.org

Project LEDO

  • Project LEDO's mission is to provide access to science and technology programs for children from BIPOC communities. Through mentor-based opportunities in computer fundamentals and interactive robotics experiences, we prepare students for success in school and the 21st-century workforce. Overall, we serve more than 500 students each year.

    By engaging students in interactive tech education, we cultivate problem-solving skills, math literacy, and STEM career interest and pathways. Through this access to vital STEM education, we encourage tech literacy and help prepare students for success in the classroom and beyond.

    Project LEDO is thrilled to contribute and learn from our participation in the Education Co-op. We look forward to engaging deeply with SEI and other peer organizations and leaders on how we can improve academic outcomes for students in Portland.

  • Fidel Ferrer, CEO

    fidel.ferrer@projectledo.org

Word is Bond

  • Word Is Bond empowers young Black men to become leaders, storytellers, and change-makers in their communities. Through mentorship, civic engagement, and culturally rooted programming, we help youth build confidence, skills, and a sense of belonging in spaces where they’ve historically been excluded. 

    Our programs—like Rising Leaders, Level Up, and the Blackstar Homecoming Expedition—connect young men to professional opportunities, ancestral heritage, and real-world leadership experiences. From walking tours led by youth to policy proposals presented in D.C., we center Black boy joy and amplify youth voice at every level. 

    We’re excited to join the Education Co-Op because we believe in the power of collective wisdom. The Co-Op’s commitment to place, culture, and education mirrors our own. Together, we can build systems that don’t just serve young people—they’re shaped by them. 

  • Lakayana Yatoma Drury, Founder & Executive Director

    lakayana@mywordisbond.org

Elevate Oregon

  • Elevate Oregon builds relationships with youth to promote education, self-reliance, and achievement. Through long-term, culturally responsive instruction and mentoring support, we empower young people toward success and leadership, with the goal that they become a strong positive influence in the community.

    Elevate was founded in 2010 with a focus on East Portland’s Parkrose School District (PSD). In October 2023, Elevate successfully replicated our embedded services in two additional highly diverse but underserved school districts: David Douglas and Reynolds. We now serve a total of 18 schools across our three Portland school district partners and one middle school in Vancouver Public Schools. Our focus on high school graduation, post-secondary preparation, and dropout prevention seeks to alter an intergenerational cycle of exclusion and propels our students toward success.

    We work closely with administrators in our partner school districts to identify the students who would most benefit from our services. Then, we connect these students with role models of color who have lived experiences overcoming the same challenges they face, and who can authentically engage families in their children’s educational experiences. In addition to daily inclass sessions focused on character development, academic support, and career readiness, we create safe, pro-social wrap-around programming for our students to connect with each other and their community during out-of-school times.

    “SEI and the 1803 Fund’s significant investment in our community through the Education Co-Op will have a lasting and transformative impact on the well-being of our youth and the entire region. Elevate Oregon is honored to be part of this collective effort. As a member of the Education Co-Op, we are committed to empowering Portland Metro youth with the tools, support, and opportunities they need to thrive in school and in life.”

  • Donell Morgan, Executive Director

    donell@elevateoregon.org

Kairos PDX

  • Systemic inequities have long contributed to persistent educational disparities in Portland, especially for Black youth. Founded in 2012, KairosPDX exists to disrupt this paradigm by reimagining education through a culturally affirming, whole-child approach. Our mission is to eliminate the prolific racial, achievement, and opportunity gaps by cultivating confident, creative, compassionate leaders who exceed academic expectations at each developmental milestone (We call our students, leaders.)

    All of our programs work towards eliminating the existing achievement gaps. Programs include our Learning Academy (preschool - 5th grade), Community Action Sessions (providing students with access to culturally specific enrichment classes in Health and Wellness, STEM,Arts and Culture, and Service Learning), the Training Academy (professional development designed to embed culturally-affirming strategies into everyday workplace practices), community engagement that centers building strong, trusting relationships with families through capacity-building and wraparound support, and advocacy for Black and Brown youth in statewide policy-making and government affairs.

    Being an Education Co-Op Strategic Planning Grant Awardee will allow us to build relationships with partner organizations to center and expand services for Black/African American youth in a sustainable manner that is deeply rooted in the community. We are very excited to be part of this project.

  • Marsha Williams, CEO & Co-Founder

    marsha@kairospdx.org

REAP, Inc.

  • REAP’s mission is “To proactively ignite, elevate, and engage the next wave of future leaders now.” We provide experiences designed to increase educational attainment, future employment success, and economic prosperity. Our model supports students along a continuum from elementary through high school graduation and continuing into postsecondary education and/or career pursuits.

    REAP offers a comprehensive, long-term continuum of services to reduce educational disparities and foster leadership opportunities for youth. Our vision is to elevate student voices that will transform education systems to be equitable and responsive to the needs of culturally diverse students, families, and communities. We work to realize our vision by having our diverse staff in schools providing a supportive presence and working directly with students on issues that include leadership development, discipline equity, academic enrichment, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, and youth voice.

    For 24 years, we’ve partnered with schools and communities to elevate outcomes for lowincome and culturally diverse youth. REAP’s programs, services, and wraparound support serve youth across 4 Oregon counties and in 11 different school districts. Our goals are to empower students through culturally responsive education, leadership development, and community engagement. REAP currently leads five statewide youth advisory councils in partnership with the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority.

    Participation in the Education CO-Op will help REAP’s transformation into a next chapter of growth as we expand our impact through new programs and initiatives to reach even more AABD students and other underserved youth. REAP’s goals are to empower students through culturally responsive education, leadership development, mental health, entrepreneurship, educator training, coalition building and civic engagement.

  • Mark Jackson, Executive Director

    markj@reapusa.org

Youth Organized and United to Help (Y.O.U.T.H)

  • Y.O.U.TH (Youth Organized and United to Help) is a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline by empowering young people and families through education, mentorship, and community engagement. Our mission is to create equitable opportunities for youth to thrive—socially, academically, and emotionally—by addressing systemic barriers and building pathways to success.

    Our work is deeply rooted in the community, meeting families where they are and walking alongside them to ensure lasting impact. We host neighborhood-based events, back-to-school drives, and community resource fairs that connect youth and families to essential services. Our Community Closet provides clothing and hygiene products, while our Literacy and academic programs offer tutoring and enrichment to boost academic confidence. Through Y.O.U.TH Ballerz, we combine athletics with mentorship to teach teamwork, discipline, and leadership—creating safe spaces where young people can develop both on and off the court

    We also collaborate with schools, local agencies, and grassroots organizations to address mental health, school absenteeism, and family stability—ensuring that youth have the holistic support they need to succeed. Our work centers on advocacy, healing, literacy, and positive youth development, with a focus on uplifting historically underserved communities in East Multnomah County.

    We are honored and excited to join SEI’s Education Co-Op. This partnership represents a powerful opportunity to align resources, share best practices, and collaborate with other community organizations committed to educational equity. Together, we aim to strengthen collective impact and expand access to meaningful learning experiences that help every young person reach their full potential.

  • Imani Muhammad, Executive Director & Founder

    imani@youthpdx.org

in partnership with the 1803 fund

These funds are made possible by our partnership with the 1803 Fund. SEI’s founder, Tony Hopson, Sr., secured a nearly half-billion-dollar donation to go toward place, culture, and education to lift up the community. The 1803 Fund believes that, “There can be no rooted, prosperous life for Black folks without a concerted investment in the education and wellbeing of our youth. Because children are our future. And learning is the engine of life.

1803 Fund logo