Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Mindful Life Project
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As: MLP
Mailing Address: 1001 Canal Boulevard
City: Richmond
State: CA
Postal Code: 94804
Main Phone: 5109956450
Main Fax:
Organization Website: https://mindfullifeproject.org/
Employer ID Number: 47-5066819
Organization Tax Status: 501(c)3

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: March 30, 2025
Requested Amount: $10,000

Project Title: Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health and Well-Being Programming for Title I Middle School Students in Contra Costa County, California
Project Description:

Mindful Life Project (MLP) supports the mental, emotional, and behavioral health and well-being of Title 1 elementary and middle school communities through mindfulness-based direct-service programming.

Our work directly addresses the ongoing mental, emotional, and behavioral health crises affecting our nation’s youth, which the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in a joint 2021 statement.

If granted, we will use funds from the Foundation to implement our programming at three middle schools (Delta Vista Middle, Rancho Medanos Junior High, and Lovonya DeJean Middle) in Contra Costa County, California, during the spring semester of the 2025-2026 school year. MLP will reach approximately 1,320 students aged 11 to 14 in sixth through eighth grades through this project.

MLP provides each of our three middle school partner schools with a dynamic, highly trained MLP Coach who will be present on their campuses full-time. Coaches deliver our two distinct yet complementary curricula: Mindful Community and Rise Up. The content and teaching methods of these curricula are developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive, and trauma-informed.

Mindful Community is a comprehensive school-wide push-in program in which all students and teachers participate. In Mindful Community, MLP Coaches lead weekly 25-minute mindfulness sessions in every classroom across all partner schools throughout the academic year.

Rise Up is a targeted small-group pull-out program that offers personalized support to students facing significant mental, emotional, and behavioral health challenges due to exposure to toxic stress and/or trauma. In addition to their weekly 25-minute Mindful Community lesson, Rise Up students engage in two 40-minute Rise Up sessions each week. Rise Up programming enhances, reinforces, and builds upon the knowledge and skills that students gain through their concurrent involvement in Mindful Community.

Total Project Budget: $210,000

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): City of Richmond Fund for Children and Youth (Committed); Contra Costa County – Measure X Funding (Pending); Crescent Porter Hale Foundation (Pending – Renewal); Kaiser Permanente (Committed)

Project Duration: 2025-2026 Academic Year (funds will be applied to our work during the spring semester, which runs from January to June 2026)
Geographical Area Served: Contra Costa County, California (Oakley, Pittsburg, and Richmond)
Age Group To Be Served: Students aged 11 to 14 in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Ms.
Contact First Name: Alexandra (Ali)
Contact Last Name: Hawkins
Contact Title: Senior Director of Development
Contact Phone: 5135815831
Contact Email: ali@mindfullifeproject.org