Fulfillment Fund

Fulfillment Fund uplifts young people from poverty by empowering them to get into college, graduate (92% graduation rate) and embark on meaningful career paths. Starting in 9th grade we expose students to a variety of fields and give them concrete steps to get there, including skills training, networking connections, and exclusive internship/first job opportunities. Last year we served over 3,200 students who were 98% BIPOC, 84% low-income, and 76% first-generation. We seek support to grow and deepen our career readiness programming.

The pandemic has widened the educational achievement gap, particularly among low-income students of color. After a year of significant disengagement, we need to help students rebuild connections—to their sense of purpose, their peers, their educational community. Fulfillment Fund will add social-emotional interventions to our college access program for 9th-12th graders in our partner schools. Now more than ever, students need help finding hope and getting back on a path to college, which is key to economic mobility and uplifting diverse voices.

Destination College+ (DC+) is an inspiring, information-packed day-long college conference designed to inspire and empower low-income students to enroll in post-secondary institutions and complete a college degree. Featuring grade-specific workshops and a College Fair for high school students and their parents, as well as a Career Fair and career readiness workshops for post-secondary students, DC+ brings together the full continuum of the pathway to college, post-secondary academic achievement, and career readiness.

Destination College + is the first transitional step of students from their previous lives to adulthood. For students in post-secondary education, it helps them secure their first job and start a career. For students in high school, it helps them acclimate into college life. Fulfillment Fund programs encourage and support students to graduate from high school and post secondary but the Destination College + offers the tools to transition into their new lives.

The Fulfillment Fund is a Los Angeles based 35 year old nonprofit that has evolved into a leading college access organization with a multipronged model for success. The Fulfillment Fund’s mission is to make college a reality for students growing up in educationally and economically under-resourced communities. A college degree is more important than ever in creating a pathway out of poverty. We promote higher education and college bound culture through our high school program in partnership with several LA Title 1 high schools. Our program is designed around our classroom-based proprietary College Access Curriculum, one-on-one college counseling, and experiential learning opportunities such as college tours and our annual signature event, Destination College. We are unique in that our program is part of the regular school day, making us an integrated part of our students’ school day. Our holistic approach and commitment of “One Student a Time” enables us to extend educational opportunity and create long-term positive change for our students, their families and the surrounding community. Numerous students do not see college as a reality due to the cycle of poverty, cost of attendance, and lack of college graduate role models in their communities. Compounding the problem are budget cuts that lead to overcrowding 1:35 students and few or nonexistent college counselors 1:1250 students in area Title 1 high schools; the Fulfillment Fund is bridging this gap to service these students. We partner with the schools to provide students with the much needed guidance and information to graduate high school, apply to and attend college. The education of one student not only impacts the student, but it can also increase the economic growth of their family and surrounding community exponentially. Our hope for 2050 is that the greater LA community believes in our vision that all students, regardless of their circumstances, should have the opportunity to attend college, graduate, and actively participate in transforming their communities and creating a better society. Our students are LA’ future business leaders, parents, and community advocates that will help spread the importance of the value of higher education. Our immediate goal for the future is to reach more students, families, and educators by expanding our signature event, Destination College beyond our current students. The Fulfillment Fund has successfully held 16 Destination College events for high school program students, their parents and mentors; it is often the first time many of them visit a higher education institution and begin to see attending a college or university as within their grasp. Destination College is always held on a local college campus such as Loyola Marymount University, the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. Grade specific workshops are delivered by Fulfillment Fund program staff and outside content experts that include: Overview of the 4-college systems, Financial aid options, Personal essay writing, College Applications 101, and Leadership 101. Several workshops, led by professionals in creative fields, incorporate youth development and creative self-expression to further engage students. The event also includes a robust college fair attended by 60 or more national college recruiters who provide general information and address our students’ concerns about financial aid, cultural challenges, and support services. For many students, Destination College is a pivotal, life-changing experience as it marks the first time they realize that they can belong in the college community. After attending the event, students are armed with critical information and have a sense of empowerment which translates into certainty that they can attend their dream school no matter the cost because they have options. The event provides parents and mentors with valuable resources and support about the importance of their student attending college in addition to providing guidance on how best to prepare their teens for college. In LA County, where only 32% of students complete college prep coursework A-G\; Destination College has the ability to ignite passion in students and stress the importance of succeeding in high school in order to be accepted to college. The main goals of Destination College are to: 1. Motivate students to apply for and attend college by connecting them with college representatives and current college students. 2. Spread practical knowledge about the college admissions process and financial aid through informative workshops. 3. Educate more parents in the college going opportunities that exist for their children and help remove the financial barriers they may think hinder these opportunities