Access Without Support is Not Opportunity

Community safety

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Black and brown students in private schools often experience isolation, racial microaggressions, and exclusion from peer and leadership opportunities. These daily realities take a toll on mental health and self-esteem, especially in environments that lack cultural representation and support. Private School Village addresses this emotional and social safety crisis by centering student identity, community, and wellness. We equip families to interrupt bias, teach racial literacy, and build community across schools to ensure students feel safe, seen, and valued.

Private School Village is a Black parent-led nonprofit that fosters racial wellness and community safety for Black and brown youth in private schools. Our work focuses on building emotional safety, confidence, and belonging in spaces where students are often underrepresented and unsupported. Through peer connection, racial literacy workshops, parent support, and student-led wellness initiatives, Private School Village creates affirming environments that help students thrive socially and emotionally.

This project expands our High School Leadership Program which includes racial literacy curriculum, and mental health-informed programming across Los Angeles. Students build skills to counter bias, advocate for themselves, and connect with peers across schools who understand their experiences. Parents are empowered as ambassadors and community advocates, shaping school culture and safety from the inside out.

Private School Village operates across 90+ private schools without membership fees or gatekeeping. Our programs are co-created with families and students, ensuring our model reflects the lived realities of those we serve and advances community-driven solutions to emotional harm, racial isolation, and cultural exclusion.

When successful, LA will be a place where Black and brown students feel emotionally safe, represented, and fully supported in every educational setting, including private schools. Instead of navigating racism in silence, students will build racial confidence and peer networks that reinforce their identity. Families will be empowered to lead change on their campuses, and schools will become more inclusive and accountable. This work ensures that every student, regardless of zip code or tuition level, has access to the support and belonging they need to thrive.