Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Children Rising
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As:
Mailing Address: 2633 Telegraph Ave. #412
City: Oakland
State: CA
Postal Code: 94612
Main Phone: 510-836-5100
Main Fax:
Organization Website: www.children-rising.org
Employer ID Number: 94-3403801
Organization Tax Status: 501c3

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: 3/19/2026
Requested Amount: 10,000

Project Title: Succeeding by Reading
Project Description:

Children who learn to read by the time they complete third grade are far more likely to succeed in middle school, graduate from high school, and enjoy a fuller, safer, more prosperous life. Throughout Oakland educational inequity is a social injustice impacting children in low-income neighborhoods. Children, primarily Black and Latino, are systematically locked out of opportunity due to their zip code and the schools they attend. The sad reality is that, as a community, we do not provide these eager children with enough proper support to give them a fair chance to succeed in school.

Succeeding by Reading, our one-on-one interventional literacy tutoring program is designed to surround a child with the academic support they need to catch up to grade-level reading so that they can become a confident, engaged student. Succeeding by Reading builds the foundational literacy skills of second and third-grade students through individualized tutoring that fully incorporates “Science of Reading” principles.

Children Rising closely partners with Oakland public school principals and teachers at our community’s most under-resourced Title 1 elementary schools. These educators refer children struggling the most in reading and are paired with a trained Children Rising tutor for weekly tutoring throughout the academic year. There is no cost to families for their children to receive this tutoring.

Last school year, we tutored 150+ children in reading, providing 4,500 one-on-one tutoring sessions with 105 trained tutors from the community. On average, 65% of students regularly attending our program gain two or more grade levels by the end of the year. Caring relationships develop between tutor and student throughout the year. The vast majority of students develop increased self-confidence, improved social-emotional skills, and foundational reading skills so they can actively participate in the classroom.

Total Project Budget: 375630

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Individual Contributions – $125,000 committed, Lowell Berry Foundation – $40,000 committed, Callison Foundation – $25,000 pending, Ross Stores Foundation – $30,000 pending, Mary A Crocker Trust – $20,000 pending, Jack and Jill Foundation – $10,000 pending, Oakland Promise – $118,000 pending.

Project Duration: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027
Geographical Area Served: Oakland, CA
Age Group To Be Served: 7-10 years old

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Mrs.
Contact First Name: Chelsea
Contact Last Name: Boniak
Contact Title: Director of Development
Contact Phone: 510-588-1820
Contact Email: chelsea@children-rising.org