In 2022, St. David’s Foundation awarded E3 Alliance a general operating grant of $250,000 to improve postsecondary work in Central Texas. This funding will advance our Pathways to Prosperity initiative, which is designed to ensure that youth, especially those experiencing the greatest systemic barriers, achieve postsecondary outcomes necessary for their own and our community’s economic health.

St. David’s Foundation has grown alongside the community, shifting from a focus on health to one of health equity. With the growth of our region, the Foundation’s work has evolved, deepening a commitment towards upstream and transformational work to improve systems and conditions for a healthier community. The Foundation is working to better understand how social problems like poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing, lack of public transportation, low educational attainment, and neighborhood deterioration impact community health.

Our work with St. David’s Foundation is grounded in a shared desire to transform systems so that every individual can flourish and reach their full potential.

“Declining postsecondary outcomes and the wide disparities in outcomes largely predicted by income and race are warning lights on our region’s economic and equity dashboard. We commend E3 for their leadership role in highlighting this issue and digging into the data behind it so that our region can create sustainable solutions to ensure pathways to prosperity for all,” explained Kim McPherson, Senior Program Officer at St. David’s Foundation.

With support from the Foundation, E3 Alliance Pathways to Prosperity research has deepened and will continue to expand and facilitate richer discussion and collaboration to drive action. Key activities include:

• Thoroughly engaging Student/Family/Practitioner Voice in research around and optimization of tools that address what students and families – especially young Black and Hispanic youth and youth from low-income housing – need to pursue and complete a postsecondary credential.
• Seeding transformational change in policy and practice by:
  • implementing the five-year P-TECH (Pathways in Technology) Early College High School blueprint that was co-designed with Austin Community College and four school district partners to increase the number of students that complete their associate degrees and transition into high-value, livable jobs in Central Texas, specifically in Allied Health and Advanced Manufacturing;
  • conducting events to engage with business and industry leaders and Texas legislators;
  • supporting the launch of Austin 2030 and the new network coordinator in addressing postsecondary readiness, transition, and completion in the geographic footprint of Austin ISD (data portal created for them); and
  • supporting the integration of My Brother’s Keeper Scholars into Communities in Schools to maximize the reach of this proven effective academic and social support program for young Black and Hispanic males from low-income housing in transitioning to a successful path beyond high school.
• Super-charging community awareness of postsecondary education opportunities, options, and alternatives, such as working alongside collaborators like the Make It Movement.

E3 Alliance is grateful for the thought leadership and institutional support of the St. David’s Foundation. Learn more about St. David’s Foundation by visiting www.stdavidsfoundation.org .