Who we are

Created by the United States Department of Education and authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Promise Neighborhoods programs work to improve educational outcomes for students in underserved urban and rural areas.

About us

The founding members of the Coalition, Mission Economic Development Agency in San Francisco, Partners for Rural Impact in Kentucky, SBCS in San Diego, and Delta Health Alliance in Mississippi, joined together in late 2022, in partnership with the William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children’s Zone and Save the Children. All high-performing programs, the founding members created the coalition to:

Build strong relationships in Congress, the Department of Education, and the White House.
Increase federal funding for Promise Neighborhood programs.
Improve federal policies impacting Promise Neighborhood programs.
Create a community of best practices for Promise Neighborhood providers.

Promise Neighborhoods has the potential to scale and impact many more children, families, and communities across the country.

The Coalition has since formalized themselves through bylaws and an internal governance structure and hired Washington, DC-based lobbying and communications firms to advance its efforts to impact federal appropriations and policy.

The Coalition of Promise Neighborhoods provides funding to support eligible entities with the vision that all children and youth in distressed communities have access to great schools, strong systems of family and community support, and impactful programs. Through this support, Promise Neighborhoods aim to help more young individuals successfully transition to higher education and employment while achieving neighborhood-wide results and local resource infrastructures that sustain and scale up successful efforts.

How to join

There are three ways to join the coalition:

Become a Member: For Promise Neighborhood providers that are ready to join the Coalition; or
Become an Affiliate Member: For Promise Neighborhood providers that are interested in joining the Coalition on a provisional basis; or
Become an Advisory Member: For organizations whose mission and purpose are complementary and supportive of the work of the Coalition.

For further information, contact either of the Coalition’s co-chairs: