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Abstract or Project Description

Abstract or Project Description

Support to provide high-quality services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Contra Costa County.

Abstract or Project Description

To support Logan McWilliams in the development of instructional resources that honor African American Vernacular English (AAVE) as children learn Standard English.

Abstract or Project Description

To support the development of their three-year plan towards their mission of facilitating anti-racist training for cohorts of school instructional leaders. Leadership for Liberation is in the process of codifying their three-year program for principals to earn the clear administrative services credential. Leadership for Liberation aims to expand their current cohort of leaders and increase impact.

Abstract or Project Description

For a teacher-in-training position that designs an innovative educator pathway by braiding funding from multiple state grants.

Abstract or Project Description

To update their staffing model and add a new position called the Teacher in Training, who will serve as an instructional aide and tutor. Lighthouse aims to provide academic and relational continuity for students throughout the day and invest in staff career pathways.

Abstract or Project Description

For their capital campaign to establish the San Antonio Family Resource Center, which is a hub of research, training and knowledge sharing resources for the greater community. They aim to engage young learners and their caregivers in culturally relevant, responsive programming and parent leadership development.

Abstract or Project Description

A multidisciplinary, Black-centered no-holds-barred exploration of race and equity. The performance engages evolving legal policies, public sentiment and lived reality to consider how the boundaries and public perception of Black life are constructed and maintained and the ongoing effect of such policies.

Abstract or Project Description

The Luggage Store, also known as The 509 Cultural Center, is a nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to foster community through multidisciplinary arts programming that promotes diversity, inclusion and dialogue among the diverse cultural communities of downtown San Francisco. They aim to reduce inter-group tensions and stereotypes through exhibitions, performances, education and public art initiatives.

Abstract or Project Description

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have dysfunctions in gut motility (the movement of muscles in the gastrointestinal tract). Currently, most available therapeutics developed to directly target the gut fail to stabilize symptoms, suggesting that dysfunctions in gut motility could arise from pathological changes occurring outside the gut. Intriguingly, gut motility problems also occur at high frequencies in patients with neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric diseases, associated with dysregulated neural activity in a specific region of the brain—the cerebral cortex. We propose that dysregulated neural activity in the cortex contributes to the emergence of gut dysfunction. We will test this hypothesis by first identifying specific regions in the cortex that are anatomically connected to the gut and then determining if modulating neural activity within these regions alters gut function. Additionally, we will use established mouse models of various neurological disorders and IBD to ask whether restoring homeostatic levels of neural activity to the cortex improves gut phenotypes. Our study will provide anatomical and functional evidence to support the concept that cortical modulations regulate gut motility. Furthermore, the insight gained from the study can lead to novel therapeutics for ameliorating gut motility symptoms in IBD patients.

Abstract or Project Description

Despite medical advances, a significant proportion of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are resistant to therapies, with CD4 T cells being consistently activated. Analysis of inflamed tissues from a cohort of refractory IBD patients reveals an enrichment of metabolism gene transcripts in CD4 T cells. Exploring the mechanisms, our preliminary data demonstrate that several proinflammatory cytokines can independently trigger metabolic phenotypes which we believe reinvigorates the pathogenic function of CD4 T cells. This led us to formulate the hypothesis that IBD CD4 T cells, governed by metabolic cues, utilize common intracellular metabolites to drive inflammatory response that results in disease pathogenesis. Thus, our research goal is to identify the metabolic vulnerabilities of IBD CD4 T cells, which will consequently guide strategies for developing efficacious therapies.

Abstract or Project Description

In IBD, the microbes within the intestinal tract, collectively known as the microbiota, are targeted by inappropriate immune responses. There are also a number of changes in the microbiota composition that are thought to drive or amplify IBD pathology. One of these is the expansion of E. coli. However, our preliminary data has identified select E. coli isolates that limit intestinal pathology in mouse models of colitis by activating intestinal macrophages that either limit inflammation or promote barrier repair, two therapeutic endpoints for IBD. These results indicate that while some E. coli may amplify disease, others may protect against it. Understanding these differences will allow us to develop novel therapeutics.

Abstract or Project Description

To support academic programs and staffing at Menlo-Atherton High School.

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To support general operations and research.

Abstract or Project Description

To provide general support, in honor of Rivkah Beth Medow’s 10 years of service as a Rainin Board Member.

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Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M3) is a platform created to empower, elevate, normalize and give visibility to musicians of historically underrepresented gender identities (including cis women, trans women, trans men and non-binary) in intersection with race, sexuality or ability across generations in the US and worldwide, through a radical model of mentorship and musical collaborative commissions.

Abstract or Project Description

The NDN Collective, founded in 2018, pioneers a systemic approach to empower Native communities by centering Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) leadership and reallocating resources. Through defense, development and decolonization pillars, NDN fosters sustainable growth while amplifying Indigenous voices to address societal challenges and promote equity and justice.

Abstract or Project Description

To help Norcal Crew continue to provide a great on water rowing experience for youth in Redwood City.

Abstract or Project Description

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) require timely and efficacious therapeutic intervention. When conventional medications such as corticosteroids or 5-aminosalicylates fail to alleviate the disease, biologics that block a critical inflammatory molecule called tumor-necrosis-factor alpha (TNF_) are commonly used. Several drugs targeting TNF_ are currently used to treat IBD, which include Infliximab, Adalimumab, Etanercept, and Certolizumab Pegol. Unfortunately, one third of treated patients still fail to respond to these drugs. We and others have established in the past a role of immune cells called Neutrophils in IBD pathology. Neutrophils are professional phagocytes with primary role in bacterial killing and host defense; however, they also shape the inflammatory environment in the colon and are responsible for IBD disease severity. More recent studies have correlated Neutrophil presence and activity in the colon with reduced therapeutic response. Importantly, we and others have identified diverse neutrophil subsets in inflamed tissue with both protective and detrimental functions. Thus, the goal of this study is to use state of the art molecular and genetic tools to establish whether distinct Neutrophil subsets drive unresponsiveness to TNF_ biologics and define specific gene signatures that can help predict clinical response and aid in designing of future therapeutics to maintain durable clinical response in severe IBD.

Abstract or Project Description

This project invites and reflects on community responses to history and stories from the cityscapes of Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco and NOW Hunters Point. Through a live, outdoor dance performance, the lead artists will explore how communities inhabit space, how spaces influence bodies, how design can bring communities together, and how history is held in individual and collective bodies. The process and performance will excavate and express those stories to enliven the location and augment community ownership, as community members will be invited to perform alongside Kristin Damrow & Company dancers.