The San Diego Foundation Awards $12.3M to 90 Nonprofits for K-12 Student Academic and Socio-Emotional Development This Summer
SAN DIEGO (June 7, 2022) – The San Diego Foundation announced today that it has awarded $12.3 million in grants to 90 local nonprofit organizations offering hundreds of summer enrichment programs to San Diego Unified School District students benefiting from academic and socio-emotional development opportunities through another summer session of Level Up SD, in partnership with San Diego Unified School District.
“We are inspired by the renewed commitment our nonprofit community has made to San Diego Unified students for free, fun and enriching summer programs for the second summer in a row,” said Pamela Gray Payton, Chief Impact & Partnerships Officer of The San Diego Foundation. “Level Up SD provides opportunities to help thousands of students flourish for the coming school year and experience a summer of learning and joy.”
The Level Up SD afternoon enrichment program is offered in addition to San Diego Unified’s morning summer school program for students who need additional academic support. Level Up SD is open to all K-12 students enrolled for the 2022 – 2023 academic year, meaning thousands of San Diego Unified students can now take advantage of summer school and free activities like learning to build robots or participating in performing arts like dance, music or theater.
“San Diego Unified students will once again have free access to meaningful summer enrichment opportunities because every child deserves a summer of learning and joy,” said Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, president of the San Diego Unified Board of Education. “All students will have a chance to build memories and experiences at some of San Diego’s iconic venues, including our museums, performing arts institutions, beaches and parks.”
Level Up SD was created last year by the San Diego Unified School District and The San Diego Foundation, thanks to a $31 million commitment by the San Diego Unified Board of Education.
Registration for Level Up SD opened in late May 2021 and continues through July 15. To date, nearly 10,000 students have registered for one of 20,000 available program seats. San Diego Unified students can register through a direct link sent via text message to their parent/guardian. A full listing of available programs is visible on San Diego Unified’s website at sandiegounified.org.
Local nonprofit organizations offering Level Up SD summer programming include:
- A Reason To Survive
- Access Youth Academy
- Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation
- Armed Services - YMCA
- Barrio Logan College Institute
- Bayside Community Center
- Bell Middle School Foundation
- BIPOC Support Foundation
- Birch Aquarium
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater San Diego
- Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce
- Cesar Chavez Service Clubs
- Chicano Federation of San Diego County
- City Heights Community Development Corporation
- Classroom of the Future Foundation
- Coherent Development Research Institute
- County of San Diego - Department of Parks & Recreation
- Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership
- Diversionary Theatre Productions Inc.
- Elementary Institute of Science
- Family Health Centers of San Diego
- Fern Street Community Arts
- First Gen Scholars
- Fleet Science Center
- Girls Inc. of San Diego County
- Girls on the Run San Diego
- Groundwork San Diego - Chollas Creek
- Guitars in the Classroom
- Harmonium Inc.
- Heartbeat Music Academy
- International Rescue Committee
- Junior Achievement of San Diego County
- Karen Organization of San Diego
- La Jolla Historical Society
- La Jolla Playhouse
- La Maestra Foundation Inc.
- Labrats San Diego
- Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center
- Leaders of Tomorrow
- Leah's Pantry
- Living Coast Discovery Center
- Logan Heights Community Development Corporation
- Media Arts Center San Diego
- Mending Matters
- Mid-City CAN
- Mingei International Museum
- Mira Mesa Instrumental Boosters
- Sensory Friendly San Diego
- Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation Inc.
- Movement Brave Entrepreneur
- Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
- Ocean Discovery Institute
- Outdoor Outreach
- Outside the Lens
- Reality Changers
- San Diego Air & Space Museum
- San Diego Ballet
- San Diego County Library
- San Diego Guild of Puppetry
- San Diego History Center
- San Diego Junior Theatre
- San Diego Mission Bay Boat and Ski Club
- San Diego Natural History Museum
- San Diego Oasis
- San Diego Parks Foundation
- San Diego State University Foundation
- SAY San Diego
- SBCS
- Scripps Research Institute
- Sherman Heights Community Center
- STEAM - University of San Diego
- Synergy Foundation Inc.
- The Blue Heart Foundation
- The Ed Ladder
- The League of Amazing Programmers
- Three Treasures Cultural Arts Society
- transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project
- Treobytes
- Trinity One Theatre Troupe Inc
- CREATE - UCSD
- Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC)
- United Women of East Africa Support Team
- VISMO - University of San Diego
- UPLIFT
- VAPA Foundation
- YMCA of San Diego County
- Youth Empowerments Finest
- Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
- Youth Tennis San Diego
- Zoological Society of San Diego
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About Level Up SD
Created in summer 2021 by the San Diego Unified School District and The San Diego Foundation, Level Up SD features in-person classroom instruction in the mornings at neighborhood schools with San Diego Unified teachers and afternoon summer activities offered by dozens of nonprofits in communities across the city. There is no cost to families for the classroom instruction or the activities, thanks to a $31 million commitment by the San Diego Unified Board of Education. To be eligible for #LevelUpSD, students must be enrolled in San Diego Unified for the 2022-2023 school year.
About The San Diego Foundation
The San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region. Our strategic priorities include advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities, and delivering world-class philanthropy to realize our vision of just, equitable and resilient communities. For more than 46 years, The Foundation and its donors have granted more than $1.3 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.
Contact
Lorena Nava Ruggero, The San Diego Foundation, [email protected], (619) 814-1365