About The Foundation
The Oakland Roots and Soul Foundation (ORASF) works collaboratively with communities to enhance the health and wellbeing of every resident, working specifically at the intersections of race and gender justice and sports in service of a happier, healthier and more equitable Oakland and East Bay.
We do this work by unlocking additional resources through strategic grantmaking, advocacy, program design and collaboration to promote access, inclusion and empowerment for all in Oakland and across the East Bay. Our approach to systems change is rooted in the theory of “collective impact;” identifying, uniting and supporting change-agents within our communities and giving them access to the tools they need to tackle the barriers to participation that exist for vulnerable youth.
Based on five years of research, relationship building and our work as a Founding Member of Positive Coaching Alliance’s Youth Sport Racial Equity Initiative piloted in Oakland, ORASF is committed to three strategic initiatives:
Safe Places to Play | ORASF collaborates with local government, school systems, nonprofits and philanthropic partners to create new, safe places to play for Oakland and East Bay youth.
Sports Equity | ORASF is dedicated to training and equipping more community coaches and creating more opportunities for Oakland youth to access safe, high quality sports programming.
Justice Fund | ORASF makes grants to organizations engaging in racial and gender justice through sport, and other organizations working for a more just, equitable Oakland and East Bay.
Philanthropic partnerships are the backbone of the Oakland Roots and Soul Foundation’s ability to implement programming and grantmaking focused on the health and vibrancy of youth in Oakland and the East Bay.
Contributions to ORASF are an investment in the vital work of capacity building and sustainability planning for long-term success and implementation of projects that seek to transform the Town into a vibrant sports community that celebrates and provides equitable opportunity to all.
We are grateful to the support of generous donors including the PG&E Foundation, Anthem Blue Cross, Southwest Airlines, Verizon and the Mirnahill Foundation.
ORASF’s grantmaking is grounded in trust and community-centric fundraising. Current and recent grantees include: America Scores, Chapter 510, My Yute Soccer, Oakland Genesis, Soccer Without Borders, Street Soccer USA, Oscar Grant Foundation, Community Kitchens, United Black Players of the USL, Common Goal, the Ella Baker Center, the Huey P. Newton Foundation, Radical Monarchs and the Young Women’s Freedom Center. As we grow, we look forward to partnering with many more organizations here in Oakland and across the East Bay.
The Oakland Roots and Soul Foundation is a registered 501c(3) non-profit organization in the USA.