Program Areas

The Y&H Soda Foundation focuses its grantmaking in three program areas:

1. FAMILY ECONOMIC SUCCESS

2. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

3. URBAN CATHOLIC EDUCATION (BY INVITATION ONLY)


FAMILY ECONOMIC SUCCESS

The Y&H Soda Foundation believes in the dignity of work and the promise of upward economic mobility. Family Economic Success is made possible when low-income, underserved families are provided opportunities to stabilize their finances, earn a decent living, and save for the future. There are two goals in our Family Economic Success program area: help families to increase their incomes (income growth), and help families to increase their assets (asset building).


INCOME GROWTH
Grants in this area will:
• Support job placement, retention and advancement programs that help low-income individuals obtain and keep career ladder jobs at self-sufficient wages. We look for proven strategies such as transitional employment, sector certification programs and active employer engagement.

• Support job readiness programs that prepare low-income individuals for professional work environments, including soft skills training and access to employment resources and networks.

• Support comprehensive and coordinated public benefits enrollment efforts that help low-income families access critical income supports.


ASSET BUILDING
Grants in this area will:
• Support programs that help low-income families access and understand mainstream financial services, including affordable banking services and low-cost financial products.

• Support programs that help low-income families to accumulate, grow, and preserve their assets, including savings accounts, homeownership programs and small business development efforts.


COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The Y & H Soda Foundation envisions an East Bay where all people participate fully in civic life - in their schools, at their workplace, in their faith communities, and in their neighborhoods. Community engagement is made possible when leaders from diverse groups are well trained and work together for the common good. Strong and stable nonprofits contribute to the community when they are able to accomplish their missions. There are three components to our Community Engagement program area: community organizing, immigrant integration, and nonprofit leadership.


COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
Grants in this area will:
• Strengthen the capacity of community organizations that enable low income, underrepresented groups to participate more fully in their communities.

• Support efforts that train and retain leaders to have significant roles in their community organizations.

• Make measureable progress on meaningful campaigns that align with the goals of the Foundation in improving the well-being of the underserved in the East Bay.


IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION
Grants in this area will:
• Strengthen organizations that help newcomers achieve legal status in the community by providing citizenship and immigration legal services, a first step toward family economic success and civic engagement.

NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP
Grants in this area will:
• Strengthen intermediary groups committed to improving the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations in the East Bay.


URBAN CATHOLIC EDUCATION (BY INVITATION ONLY)

For nearly 20 years, the Foundation has been deeply committed to Catholic elementary and high school education, especially for low income urban children and their families. As a crisis in Catholic education sweeps our nation and challenges our local schools and parishes, our Foundation is shifting its strategy away from tuition assistance to a more proactive partnership with the Diocese of Oakland. Our intention is to have a lasting impact on improving and sustaining Catholic schools that serve our underserved urban communities. This initiative is still in development and funding is by invitation only.