Schultz Family Foundation

Today we announce Our Commitment to Young
Adults with a letter from our president, Tyra Mariani,
explaining the motivation behind our investment in
young adults.
The foundation has built on the knowledge, network,
and insights gained from our grantmaking to date,
while listening to other leaders and young adults in
this space, to identify four broad priorities based on
their potential for impact, their interdependence, and
the opportunity for innovation and philanthropic
impact.
They are:
1. Enhancing efforts to meet basic needs
2. Increasing and improving navigation supports
3. Building social capital
4. Changing employer practice
"Each of these areas has the potential for disruptive
new models, products, and platforms to significantly
enhance the lives of young adults striving for a better
life." Tyra says.

https://www.schultzfamilyfoundation.org/post/our-commitment-to-young-adults

Tens of thousands of Afghans have been forced to
flee their homeland, many because of their
association with the United States. Thousands of
Americans are stepping up to welcome our new
Afghan neighbors by donating goods, services, and
time. The Schultz Family Foundation is proud to
support this remarkable humanitarian endeavor
through the Mobilizing America for Refugees Fund,
which we launched in December 2021 in partnership
with Stand Together Foundation, Starbucks
Foundation, Welcome.us and Hello Neighbor.
The Fund has supported 60 organizations in 32
states and the collaborative effort has, so far, helped
more than 20,000 Afghan refugees and engaged over
6,000 volunteers nationwide.
Learn more about the impact organizations are
having across the country.

Welcoming Afghan refugees & nurturing our common bonds As Afghans who fled the Taliban arrive in cities and towns across the United States, legions of Americans have been stepping up to welcome this wave of refug...

Moses Ramos Lino, an immigrant from Honduras, is
confident he's on a path to success. "I'm able to
learn a lot from the best talent in the world" he
says, "and I'm excited for what's coming next."
Moses credits a lot of his success to Project Basta, a
nonprofit that works to create a bridge of
opportunity between employers and first-generation
college goers of color to increase workforce diversity
at all levels. They actively work with employers to
access untapped talent while helping graduates with
all aspects of their job search.
Learn more about how Basta supported Moses'
journey.

"Don't Give Up": One Young Man's Journey from College to Career Moses Ramos Lino, an immigrant from Honduras, is confident he’s on a path to success. "I'm able to learn a lot from the best talent in the world,” he says, ”...

Elizabeth Esquivel is driven. She's the first in her
family to graduate high school. The first in her family
to graduate from college. And soon she will be the
first in her family to study for her Master's degree.
Being the first comes with both challenges and
rewards - and Elizabeth is embracing both.
Being a first generation Mexican-American, and the
eldest daughter of newly-arrived immigrants taught
Elizabeth about responsibility at a young age. As a
teenager there were times when she felt
overwhelmed and alone.
Elizabeth got involved in Girls Inc. of Orange County
her freshman year in high school and it provided her
with a safe environment and a community of like-
minded young women who supported her through
some challenging times.
Learn more about how Girls Inc. supported
Elizabeth's journey.

This First-Gen Student is a Mentor to Others in her Community Elizabeth Esquivel is driven. She’s the first in her family to graduate high school. The first in her family to graduate from college. And soon she will be t...

Funder Spotlight: How the Schultz Family Foundation Backs Young People and Veterans | Inside Philanthropy For our latest funder spotlight, here’s a quick rundown of the Schultz Family Foundation and how it works to foster greater opportunity among veterans and youth, and respond to the pandemic.

$2.98 million in investments aim to make service more accessible and diverse for young adults and non-profits

Today we launched a $100 million fund to invest in diverse businesses, recognizing their potential to create jobs and build wealth in historically marginalized communities.
The Entrepreneurs Equity Fund (EEF) will work to accelerate the growth of emerging, high-potential, diverse-owned businesses by making direct equity investments and increasing access to non-predatory sources of capital, including revenue-based financing and low-cost working capital.
Despite the potential for diverse businesses to be powerful economic catalysts, many face persistent, structural inequities and barriers. It is well-researched that access to capital has long been the primary impediment to the growth of diverse businesses, particularly access to competitively priced capital.
Learn more about this transformative initiative. https://www.schultzfamilyfoundation.org/news-release/eef

Every new year presents an opportunity for honest reflection. As the foundation transitions into a new decade, it’s important for us to understand where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, and how we can go forward, especially in the context of today’s realities.

It’s easy to assume that the country’s low unemployment rate and high job growth mean we’re living in a time of prosperity for all. Yet when we look closer, it’s clear that not all Americans are thriving. Millions of young people—and disproportionately youth of color—continue to fall through the cracks, unable to access, secure, or retain meaningful jobs. Junior enlisted service members and their families struggle as they transition from military to civilian life. And one in 10 young adults ages 18-25 experience some form of homelessness over the course of a year. While the economic data points to widespread well-being, the reality is a growing disparity that continues to penalize young people based on their background and circumstances.

This is unacceptable, which is why we continue to explore how we, as a family foundation, can have the greatest impact on young people’s lives and livelihoods.

As our foundation has grappled with these tough issues, two core tenets have emerged:

INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES OF OUR TIMES; AND
YOUNG PEOPLE ARE OUR COUNTRY’S GREATEST UNTAPPED ASSETS, AND THERE IS NO BETTER INVESTMENT INTO OUR SHARED FUTURE THAN INVESTING IN THEIR FUTURE.
These beliefs inform our vision to create opportunities for all young people to feel valued, engaged, and inspired—in their lives as well as in their communities.

Spending time with young people who are in the midst of realizing their potential is an extraordinary experience. To see a flash of joy in someone’s eyes, or to witness a timid but proud smile always moves my heart. I recently had the privilege of experiencing such special moments at a celebration for YouthBuild. The event brought together teenagers who were just beginning their journeys to graduate high school or learn a new trade, recent high school and college graduates who were starting jobs, and older men and women who were forging their own paths to financial stability and were eager to give back to YouthBuild as mentors. Witnessing multiple generations begin to realize their potential—by reaching out for support and by providing it—was a powerful testament to the immeasurable determination of America’s youth.

A Washington state organization is using data and analytics to help solve a crisis that is both unconscionable and has seemed intractable: the challenge of kids and young adults experiencing homelessness.

The nonprofit A Way Home Washington recently announced dramatic reductions in the number of young people who are homeless in the Eastern Washington city of Spokane and it’s hoping to essentially eliminate youth homelessness by the end of the year in Walla Walla. If they reach that goal, it will be a first in the U.S. for this demographic.

While the initiative is currently being deployed in a limited number of communities, its tech-driven approach could be applied and yield success statewide, said Julie Patiño, executive director of A Way Home Washington.

“We really are hoping … that we’re going to reach a tipping point in the state of Washington and truly functionally end homelessness for young people,” she said. “And I know tons of people say that, but we really have some very compelling proof points that are of national significance.”

In Walla Walla, the number of homeless youth was 81 in April 2021 when the town was able to begin reliably tracking its stats. A year later, that declined 60% to 32 people. The most recently available information is from May when it ticked up to 39 youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.

This nonprofit is showing how rigorous data analysis can dramatically curb youth homelessness A Washington state organization is using data and analytics to help solve a crisis that is both unconscionable and has seemed intractable: the challenge of kids and young adults experiencing… Read More

Schultz Family Foundation and Ballmer Group partner to scale innovations that increase career opportunities for young adults through AmeriCorps

Schultz Family Foundation Launches $100 Million Commitment to Unlock Non-Predatory Capital for Underrepresented Entrepreneurs /PRNewswire/ -- The Schultz Family Foundation, founded by Sheri Schultz and Starbucks interim ceo Howard Schultz, today announced an initial allocation of $100...