Schools Not Prisons & BMOC
A successful youth-grassroots driven campaign to transform school discipline practices, transform justice systems, and center Boys & Young Men of Color.
#SchoolsNotPrisons partners helped transform the public narrative surrounding harsh school discipline by calling attention to systemic challenges and potential solutions, championing non-violence and youth activism and urging families to join the movement.
BHC partners advocated for more equitable funding of California’s schools through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) policy, which resulted in much-needed increased per-pupil spending and lower teacher-to-student ratios. Moreover, partners played an important role in implementing the policy to ensure that new dollars directly benefited students and families most-in-need. BHC led a powerful campaign to improve school climate, change the public narrative and raise awareness surrounding the “school-to-prison pipeline” and end harsh and overly punitive school discipline policies.
Alternatives such as restorative justice, healing, and other trauma-informed practices encompass a growing social movement to institutionalize non-punitive, relationship-centered approaches for avoiding and addressing harm, responding to violations of legal and human rights, and collaboratively solving problems.
When used in schools to address the root causes of harmful behavior, these approaches help find solutions that make it right for all parties involved without the student losing class time.
The work yielded a 50% decrease in suspensions statewide, contributing to more in-class time for teaching and learning. This school climate effort may have also contributed to an improvement in school graduation rates.
-
Millions
of people reached through the campaign since 2016 -
Hundreds
of artists connected with grassroots, youth-serving orgs -
100,000+
attended 30+ free arts & music festivals -
50%
Decrease in Suspensions Statewide
“We’ve seen what happens when young people have a chance to heal from trauma, to lead, and to create a vision for the kind of world they, and we, all want to live in.”
DR. ROBERT K. ROSS President & CEO, The California Endowment
Browse Other Changes Planted by Dr. Ross
Building Healthy Communities $1B invested over 10 years
Health4All 38.6 million lives impacted
Youth Awards 37 total awards given
Farmworker Health $50M initiative
TCE Grant Making 2023 $381M awarded
Parks for All Hundreds of millions leveraged for parks investments in CA
Youth on the Board 1st of large foundations in US to have youth on the board
Childhood Obesity & Freshworks $272M to expand access to fresh and healthy foods in low-income communities
CHIS 20,000 households interviewed annually to find health gaps in CA
Kids Health Coverage Campaign $4M to help enroll children in health programs
Cultural Competency/Health Workforce/PRIME $78.2M to CA organizations working to boost the size and diversity of the state's healthcare workforce
TCE Headquarters 125,000+ use our facilities every year
Wishing Wall
Thank you for your leadership and keeping justice at the center of LA philanthropy!
Dr. Ross,
I love you!! Thank you for being a servant to the people. Lives are better because you came into the world.
Thank you, Dr. Ross, for all the love you have given to this world. You have paved the way to continue making change.
- Veronica
Congratulations on a wonderful 24 years of impact! May God bless you and keep you!
Thank you for being a mentor and inspiration. You have truly made a difference in California and the world.
Love you my brother! My homeboy. Wish you all the joy & happiness.
- Hector V. (Homeboy Industries)
Wishing you health and happiness in your well deserved retirement.
Dr. Ross -
I want to thank and appreciate you for being an advocate for our most underserved communities and our boys of color. It is with deep gratitude that I can say that your investments have given me a career and supported my healing journey.
- Omar Torres
Thank you for all the great work bringing health and wellness to California.
- Alan Pullman
Bob,
Thank you for all the good trouble you made and extending a hand to join you.
With love,
- Hanh Cao Yu
Dearest Bob,
I will forever appreciate how you have welcomed and vouched for me in philanthropy. And there’s still time for you to get us that $5mil!
- Shane
Bob,
We wish you good health, adventure, and lots of love in your life’s journey.
- Julie & Pete Brown
Bob -
We’ll miss you so much. You’ve been a force of nature and a force of beauty.
Love you,
- Jim Mangia
Wishing you all the love you can handle…. And wonderful memories of years at TCE!
- Elwood
Blessings upon blessings! Looking forward to all your journey takes you!
You are an inspiration! Thank you for everything.
- Ted
Dear Bob -
It was an honor to be part of TCE. I wish you all the best in life and love in your retirement. Hope to see you in Pasadena.
Thank you for all your support for the ACA, #Health4All, and everything else.
Dr. Ross,
You instilled so much confidence in me by choosing me to be on the board. You truly have no idea about the trajectory my life will go on. Thank you immensely and I wish you all the best.
RKR - sooooo wonderful to gather this evening to celebrate you! The honor and privilege of knowing you is more than I can describe. Hoping we will be sure to connect as you go.
Unveiling Our
2025 Annual
Report
The California Endowment is proud to present our 2025 annual report. Read about the work we are supporting and our partners who are changing California to a state of belonging and inclusion.
View Report