Spaces for Black students to dream, achieve, and lead.

The African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative (AAALI) is an SFUSD/Spark initiative that provides support for Black/African American students and families to achieve academically and develop as leaders.

Building on the potential of each and every child, AAALI’s programs increase proficiency in literacy, achievement in STEM, and promote community leadership, all while dismantling systemic barriers to success.


In order to achieve success, students must feel safe and affirmed in school. As a minority population in San Francisco, Black students are more likely to face systemic barriers to realizing their dreams.


The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is committed to ensuring equitable educational opportunities and outcomes for all students. Despite progress, African-American students in SFUSD face persistent disparities in academic achievement and leadership opportunities.


AAALI is designed to address these disparities by implementing targeted strategies to support the academic success and leadership development of African-American students.

The African American Achievement & Leadership Initiative aims to:

1

Enhance Academic Performance

Improve academic outcomes for African-American students by providing tailored support and resources in Literacy and STEM.

2

Increase Leadership Opportunities

Develop and promote leadership programs to foster skills and confidence among African-American students.

3

Support Family and Community Engagement

Strengthen partnerships with families and the community to create a supportive environment for student success.

4

Address Systemic Barriers

Identify and mitigate systemic barriers that contribute to educational disparities.

Strategic Initiative

Investment Goal:
To augment SFUSD’s efforts into increasing literacy and math proficiency, and college and career readiness by 2027.

Objectives
Why AAALI?
How It Works
  • Increase student achievement in literacy and STEM.


  • Dismantle systemic barriers to academic, career, and life success.


  • Elevate Black student and family voices while developing new community leaders.


  • Foster nurturing environments that celebrate.


  • African American/Black culture and achievement.

Objectives
Why AAALI?
How It Works
  • Increase student achievement in literacy and STEM.


  • Dismantle systemic barriers to academic, career, and life success.


  • Elevate Black student and family voices while developing new community leaders.


  • Foster nurturing environments that celebrate.


  • African American/Black culture and achievement.

Learn more about AAALI’s efforts to increase Black student achievement and leadership at SFUSD.

What are employee matching gift programs?

Employee matching gift programs are corporate giving programs in which the company matches donations made by employees to eligible nonprofit organizations.  It's an easy way to double your contribution to us!

What are volunteer grant programs?

Volunteer grant programs are corporate giving programs in which companies provide monetary donations to organizations where employees volunteer regularly. If you volunteer with us, it's an easy way to provide us with additional financial support!

What counts as volunteer work?

Activities eligible for volunteer grants may include:

  1. Event Volunteering

  2. Skill-based Volunteering

  3. Volunteer Committees

  4. Administrative Volunteering

How is this information obtained?

We partner with a company called Double the Donation. If you see anything that should be changed, please email Double the Donation's team at data@doublethedonation.com

How do I request a matching gift or volunteer grant?

Requesting a matching gift or volunteer grant is normally a five-minute process that must be initiated by the donor/volunteer. You can do this by filling out and submitting a paper match form provided by your employer or through an electronic submission process.  Please search our database for company-specific information.

How do I submit a matching gift?

Donate to a nonprofit.

  1. Log into your company's matching gift submission website (if you use the Double the Donation search tool, you will receive a follow-up email linking to this page).

  2. Once logged in, search for the nonprofit that you donated to.

  3. Select the appropriate nonprofit from the search results. If it is not found, manually enter the organization's details.

  4. Register the donation.

  5. Submit the completed matching gift request to your employer.

For a more detailed walkthrough, you can view  Double the Donation's example of the submission process using The Home Depot here.

Note: Once complete, the nonprofit and your employer will communicate to verify your initial donation, and complete the match, if eligible.

What if I submit my matching gift or volunteer grant outside of the nonprofit’s online donation form or dedicated matching gifts page?

If you submit your matching gift or volunteer grant outside of the nonprofit’s online donation form or dedicated matching gifts page, contact the nonprofit directly to notify them of the request, so they may track the matching funds as needed.

What if I forget to submit my matching gift request?

If you forget to submit your matching gift after selecting your company at the time of donation, you will receive a series of auto-generated emails prompting you to submit your match. The majority of companies offer an all-electronic matching gift submission process.

Are matching gifts and volunteer grants tax-deductible?

While your donation to a 501(c)3 organization is tax-deductible, your matching gift is not tax-deductible. Only your contributions are eligible for tax deduction. Each party involved (yourself and your employer) can only take deductions for contributions they directly made to the nonprofit.

What if I still have questions?

For questions regarding your company's programs, please contact your employer's HR or community giving department. Much of the necessary information is also available on your company intranet.  For questions regarding submitting a matching gift or volunteer grant request to us, please contact us using the information provided on this page.

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.”

Dr. Mae Jemison

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