We Raise Foundation Awards Two Emerging Leader Grants
We Raise Foundation recently awarded two Emerging Leader Grants totaling $30,000. Emerging Leader Grants are an investment in the development of leaders between the ages of 20-35 at Christian organizations who are leading new programs at the intersection of poverty, violence, and inequality.
Each Emerging Leader Grantee receives $15,000 over two years with $10,000 supporting the program and $5,000 supporting leadership development. This leadership development includes attendance at a Leadership Fundamentals conference through The Center for Creative Leadership; attendance at the Global Leadership Summit through satellite locations; and individualized leadership coaching. Grantees also receive an invitation to attend the annual Emerging Leader Convening in Chicago, hosted and paid for by We Raise Foundation; free attendance for all We Raise webinars; and promotion and networking within the We Raise community.
Proposals for the Emerging Leader Grant Program are accepted year-round with grants awarded quarterly. The next deadline is August 31, 2019 with grants awarded in October. For more information regarding grant requests, please visit the website at weraise.org/emergingleadergrants.
The newest Emerging Leader Grant recipients are:
Tim Cahill
Creating Access and Support in Math for Urban Youth
Rise University Preparatory, San Francisco, Calif.
Leader Profile:
Tim Cahill has worked in education for 10 years and currently serves as admissions director, athletic director, and math teacher at Rise University Preparatory, San Francisco, Calif. He began his career teaching math and coaching the soccer team at Alma Heights Christian High School, Pacifica, Calif. In 2015, Cahill and his wife accepted positions to teach at an American Christian school in Ghana, where he led the math department and coached soccer. He was eventually given the role of lead teacher and tasked with setting the vision and maintaining the standards of the high school. In 2017, Cahill returned to the United States to join the staff at Rise University Prep. He holds a bachelor’s degree from California Baptist University, Riverside, Calif., and a master’s degree in educational leadership from California State University East Bay, Hayward, Calif.
Project Summary:
Rise University Preparatory is an independent Christian middle/high school that began in 2017 with its inaugural 6th grade class of 20 students. Rise Prep’s vision is to be a different model of urban education as it deeply invests in each student through the power of community and instills hope grounded in God’s love. The goal is for each student to gain admission into a four-year university. While the focus has been on study skills, character development, and resilience at the middle school level, new curriculum and programs will be needed at the high school level. Tim Cahill will be one of the key architects of the high school math curriculum and the support needed for students to gain access to college through competitive academic profiles.
Tobi Adewodu
Future Steps Program
GRIP Outreach For Youth, Chicago, Ill.
Leader Profile:
Tobi Adewodu serves as GRIP Outreach For Youth’s Future Steps Director and is responsible for equipping the students for future careers and college opportunities. Adewodu attended Howard University, Washington, D.C., completing five internships during his undergraduate career which led to a job at Goldman Sachs, a multinational investment bank and financial services company. After a brief time at Goldman, Adewodu transitioned to ministry work by attending Summit International School of Ministry, Grantville, Pa. His first taste of urban ministry was at Summit, where he served an under-resourced community through sports ministry. After graduating, Adewodu stayed on as the program manager of Twelv2Athlete and managed the year-round sports program that included sports camps, recreation leagues, and travel teams. His first introduction to urban ministry in Chicago was through By The Hand Club For Kids, where he served as a volunteer manager. Adewodu is currently pursuing a master’s degree in spiritual formation and discipleship at Moody Theological Seminary, Chicago.
Project Summary:
The Future Steps program helps teens form a vision for their future and empowers them to live it out. With the grant, the Future Steps program will expand GRIP’s network of business owners and managers across a multitude of industries, to provide teens with jobs, internships, and essential life skills. Leveraging the strength of its existing life-on-life relationships, GRIP coordinates between mentor and business manager on a weekly basis, offering a community of support for the youth as they learn important skills such as goal setting, time management, budgeting, and presentation skills among many others. Students will also be exposed to college and job opportunities through the Future Steps Fair and college visits.
About We Raise Foundation
We Raise Foundation identifies innovative ideas, people, and programs that raise consciousness, community leadership, and capital. Motivated by the belief that freedom is grace in action (Galatians 5:1a), We Raise provides grants and assistance with resource development to organizations that work at the intersection of poverty, violence, and inequality. We Raise supports Christian nonprofit organizations and emerging leaders and has a preference for funding solutions within the areas of education, workforce development, and criminal justice. To learn more, please visit weraise.org. You can also find We Raise on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.